Open This When
by Azuphere
Summary: On Annabeth's fourteenth birthday, two weeks before she has to move to San Francisco for a year, Percy gives her a bunch of "Open This When" letters, as a way to remember him. A Mortal AU, and a bit OOC. There's a reason why Humour isn't a genre. (I'm not funny.) Rated T just in case. Nothing M.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my fourth story, and I hope you like it. I feel as if some parts are awkward, but I'm not really that used to writing sort of "fluff." There's a reason why my other stories were hurt/comfort. This actual story might be _really_ long, and not every chapter is going to be a letter. It might be every few to several chapters. Sorry. I don't think I saw any other stories like this in the PJO fandom, so hopefully it's a bit unique. There's going to be_ really_ slow Percabeth, so don't expect them to get together after the first few chapters, or so. I doubt they'll even get together after 20. Like I said, this story is going to be _long_. I'll probably do shout-outs for this story, and there's going to be weekly updates. Without further ado, here's the story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. **

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**Chapter One**

(Annabeth's POV)

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" The kids sang out, well, more like yelled. No matter how squeaky, loud, or horribly off-pitch it was, I couldn't help but smile. It was my fourteenth birthday, and my family threw me a, well, birthday party. It was located in my backyard, and all my friends were here. I couldn't be happier. _Considering the fact that this might be the last time you see them for a while, _a little pessimistic voice reasoned in my mind. _No, _I thought while pushing these negative thoughts out. Today was supposed to be a time of happiness, not despair.

"Are you one..." a little voice sang. He was the only one. Everyone started laughing. Travis looked around confusingly. "No?" He stated, though it sounded more like a question. "We're not doing that?" Thankfully, Katie saved him from his embarrassment.

"Are you two..." she continued, and pretty soon, everyone joined along.

"Are you three, are you four..." they continued like that until fourteen.

"Stop." I said, a tad bit awkwardly, and with a tad bit of a laugh.

"Are you fifteen?" Connor still persistently continued, until he was signaled to a stop, by one of Thalia's death glares. He cowered in fear. I couldn't blame him though, those things can be scary. Well, to others. I got used to them.

"Make a wish Birthday Girl." Percy told me.

"Don't you mean Wise Girl?" Silena teased.

"Oh, shut up." He retorted, only half-heartedly, with a bit of a blush on his cheeks. I laughed at his reaction, and he scowled at me. "You too, Wise Girl."

"Hey!" I protested. "It's my birthday. You should be kind to me."

"Fine." Percy relented. "But tomorrow, however, I can annoy and tease the Hades out of you." I sighed, he was right. Not that I would admit it to his face. "Now make a wish." I closed my eyes and thought quite hard, although, the answer came to me naturally. I took a deep breath, and blew out the candles. I made sure that I didn't accidentally spit on the beautifully decorated cake. Gods know, how much that annoys, angers, and, not to mention, disgusts me. Go place your saliva somewhere else, just _not_ on the cake. Geez. People have to eat that too, you know.

"Yay!" Everyone cheered. I never really understood that concept, even though I do it too. Why are you praising such a small action that anyone can do? Oh well. The deed is appreciated enough. After the cheering died down, my dad handed me this huge knife. Yes, I am responsible enough to handle sharp objects. Some of my friends, however, I can't really say. I directed the knife towards a section of the cake, and smiled towards the cameras. After several photos, I was finally able to cut the cake. I cut a fairly large piece for myself (don't judge), and started cutting the pieces for the others. Percy got the second slice, and that's when the complaints started.

"Why does he get to have cake first?" Thalia protested.

"I thought I was your best friend." Connor pouted.

"No you're not." I claimed. "That would be Percy, Thalia and Grover. Besides, if I gave cake to anyone else, Percy would just steal that slice away, and/or, murder that person just to get that cake." I was only partly joking. Percy would do anything for cake.

"Torture, then kill. Gods Wise Girl, do you know me at all?" Percy teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Seaweed Brain." I muttered under my breath. After an agonizing ten or so minutes (sometimes ADHD really sucks), I finished cutting enough cake slices for everybody. There was about a quarter of cake left, but that's okay. It'll probably be gone by the time this party is over. I took a seat on one of the benches, all alone with my cake and I. Not just a minute later, I felt a presence take a seat next to me.

"This cake is _soooo _good." Percy claimed. "Thanks for having some blue on it too."

"I wouldn't have it otherwise." I told him. It was the truth, anyways. He took his finger, dipped it into my cake's icing, and then licked it.

"This is also _soooo_ good. It isn't like those icky icings that are always on cakes and cupcakes."

"Here's a thought." I reasoned. "Why don't you eat your own cake?" He still had about half left.

"Food always tastes better when it's someone else's." I rolled my eyes. Nevertheless, I took my own finger and dipped it into his icing.

"This is_ soooo_ good." I mocked, but it was the truth. I started to take some more, and then he started protesting. "You want some?" I asked. He nodded eagerly, like a little puppy. "Here then. Have some." I took some icing onto my finger and then smeared it onto his face.

He wiped icing from his cheek, licked it (to which I looked at in disgust) and then he looked at me. "You just declared war, Wise Girl." He took some cake, and threw it at me. Some landed on my hair and face, but most fell down onto my lap.

"It's on." I declared. I took the plate which had his cake on it, and slammed it into his face. That pretty much put to an end our mini war. Once the plate fell, he looked at me, through cake stained eyes.

"You ruined perfectly good cake." He said, to which I shrugged. I wasn't a believer in wasting food, but he started it.

"There are extras." I told him. "You better get some before the Stolls, Nico, or Grover gets it." He practically sprinted towards the cake, still with some on his face. I laughed at his actions. Sometimes, Percy just acts like a five-year-old. I went to the washroom in my house, and washed away the cake. Percy was right, it _was_ perfectly good cake. I walked back outside to where all my friends were sitting in a circle.

"Soo..." Grover drawled, once I took my seat between Thalia and Percy. "Present time?"

"Present time." I confirmed. Our little group then proceeded to walk towards this large table which consisted of all the presents. "Who wants to go first?"

"Ooh! Me!" Thalia exclaimed, while sticking her hand out in the air, as if she were in a classroom. She then handed me a flat, medium-sized package, with a greyish-blue colour, and a big silver bow on top. I gave her a smile in return.

"Wait." Travis interrupted me, from beginning to open the present. "Who do you think will give the best gift?" I shrugged.

"Me, obviously." Thalia boasted.

"Nuh-huh." Travis protested. "It will obviously be me! After all first is the worst." He grinned proudly at his remark.

"You want to go, Stoll?" Thalia growled.

"Hey guys?" I tried to get in between them, before a full blown-out war commenced. "How about we see once I actually _open the presents_?" I purposely put some emphasis on the last three words. They grumbled a response in return. I then started to carefully unwrap the wrapping paper, so that I can probably use it for something later. A gasp escaped from my mouth, as I looked at the now uncovered present, that lay before my eyes. It was a beautiful silver HP Pavilion laptop. I turned towards Thalia and gave her a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squealed. "You shouldn't have spent so much money on me."

She waved it off, but I did notice her sending a smug look towards Travis, who glared at her in return. "It's fine. Besides, I don't know when I'll see you again. And also, I don't mind spending Zeus' money." I laughed against my will. Thalia absolutely _detested_ her dad, because he doesn't give a care in the world about them, or anybody to be honest. There are a bunch of other reasons, but I won't bore you with all of them. On the plus side, however, he is filthy rich, and Thalia just _loves_ spending his money, to get back at him.

"Who's next?" I asked. No one answered. I don't blame them. After Thalia's present, they probably thought that they couldn't compare. I sighed, I guess I'll just have to pick a random one. An extremely bright, golden yellow one caught my eye, so I picked that one.

"That's mine!" Silena exclaimed. I opened it to find a dark grey sweater, with an owl in the middle. There was also a little box, which contained the most beautiful owl earrings. I also noticed a gift card to some store I never heard of before, which I sort of ignored.

"Thank you." I told her. She beamed at me, in return.

The rest of the unwrapping of the presents went like that. Grover gave me a coupon to this enchilada place. When I gave him a questioning look, he just gave me a thumbs up. Thankfully, there was also a sketchbook, probably as a backup. Katie gave me this book about architecture, that I surprisingly never read yet. Juniper gave me a medium-sized stuffed grey owl. Travis and Connor gave me a 101-jokes book, and a suspicious can, that I will most likely never open. Beckendorf gave me this Swiss-army knife. Nico gave me an... oh my gods. He gave me this Canon video camera, that I always wanted. I was shocked that he would give me something so expensive. Maybe his reasoning was like Thalia's. They were cousins after all.

Finally, there was just a lone blue and green box, with a grey bow, that was left. I knew without a doubt that it was Percy's. As I started unwrapping it, I snuck a glance towards Percy. He was looking in my direction, with worried eyes. He is probably thinking that his present isn't good enough, compared to some of the others. I know that he comes from a relatively poor family, even if he _is_ cousins with Thalia and Nico, but I didn't care. He could've just given me a piece of paper, with "Happy Birthday!" written on it, and I wouldn't have minded. Just as long as it came from him. Once I finally removed the wrapping, I saw two boxes. The first one was a beautifully decorated open box, with around twenty or so...letters and a USB inside it. With curiosity overwhelming me, I picked them up and read the writing on the front. I looked at all of them, and they all contained the same three words. They all started with, "_Open This When..._" and different topics underneath each of them. I carefully placed the letters back in the box, and engulfed Percy in a bone-crushing hug, probably worse than the one I gave to Thalia.

"Thank you." I whispered in his ear. "Thank you so much."

We were interrupted by a cough and Connor saying, "Knock it out lovebirds." With very red cheeks, Percy and I sat back down.

"What was it?" Silena asked. I just realized that they don't know what the letters read.

"It was a bunch of _'Open This When'_ letters." Everyone was shocked. With Percy's dyslexia and whatnot, that seems to be the last thing he would give.

"I would've written more, but you didn't exactly give me enough time. When I finish, I'll probably mail it to your home, or something." Percy rubbed the back of his neck, like he always does when he's nervous.

"I'm so jealous." Silena claimed, after a while. "I want one. Or several."

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Well, too bad."

"Hey Percy?" Travis said. "Want to write me some?"

"Not in a million years, Travis." Percy sighed.

"I'll wait." Travis still tried.

"Never going to happen."

"But you did it for Annabeth."

"She's different." Percy claimed. When I heard Percy say that, I felt special.

"Aww." Silena cooed.

"In what sense, Percy?" Connor teased, while waggling his eyebrows.

"She's my best friend." Percy reasoned.

"What about me?" Grover pouted.

"Fine. _One_ of my best friends." Grover seemed satisfied with that answer.

"What do the letters say?" Katie asked, trying to direct the conversation somewhere else. Thankfully, it worked.

"Well, there's _'Open This When...You Get These Letters,_' '_Open This When...You Move in to San Francisco-'" _I was cut off by Silena.

"Wait, you're moving!" She shrieked.

"Yeah." I replied sheepishly. "I was going to tell you guys when the party is almost done. The only people who knew were Percy, Thalia, and Grover. Sorry." Silena enveloped me in a huge bear hug, and pretty soon, all my friends joined in.

"When? And for how long?" I heard Silena's voice crack with emotion.

"In two weeks. I'll only be there for a year. Once you guys are in the tenth grade, I'll be back before you know it. It'll seem as if nothing had changed." I told them.

"A lot can change in a year." Percy whispered. I never noticed that he was just beside me.

"I won't change." I tried to reason.

"Change is inevitable." I gave him a watery smile.

"Since when were you so philosophical?" I asked. He just shrugged.

"I'm a poet, and I don't even know it." Despite the dire circumstances, I managed a smile. "We'll get through this. That's why I gave you those letters. So that it'll feel as if I'm right there with you. Besides, we can always call, Skype, text, and etc. We won't lose touch." I was about to reply, but Thalia cut me off.

"Sorry for interrupting your little moment, but there are other people here too, you know." Percy and I blushed. That meant that everyone heard our conversation.

"Wait!" Percy suddenly exclaimed, once we broke out of our hug. "There's still a part two to your present." I was so wrapped up in the moment, that I forget about the other box. I hastily walked over to the present, that lay discarded on the floor. I reached for the second box underneath the first one, and opened it up. For the second time that day, Percy had me in shock. Inside lay a photo album, with yet _another _box on top.

"Seriously Percy?" I questioned. "_Another _box?" He just shrugged, and gave me a sheepish smile.

"Just open it. I hope you like it." He said. I opened it up to find the most beautiful silver necklace with a little owl pendant on it.

"Oh my gods Percy." I breathed. "It's beautiful." I wrapped him up in yet another hug.

"So you like it?" He asked. Is that even a question?

"I don't like it." I replied. He looked crestfallen for a second, to which I mentally rolled my eyes. Did he just _not_ hear me saying it was beautiful? "I love it."

His whole face lit up. "Really?"

"Yes, really." I handed him the necklace. "Now put it on me, you dork."

"Yes ma'am." He mockingly saluted. He put the necklace around my neck, and I tried to suppress the shivers and blush that was threatening to come out, when I felt his fingers and breath on my skin. Once he finished, I fingered the necklace. That was when I was hit with a question.

"Percy, how much did this cost?" I asked. He looked down. "How much?" I accused.

"Not that much." He answered. I gave him a pointed look. "Honestly. Maybe like $50 or so." I resumed giving him now narrowed eyes. He put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, fine. Maybe a $100, $200, $500, tops."

"Percy." I growled.

"What?" He replied, feigning innocence.

"I don't want you spending that much money on me. Especially considering the fact that you could use it for you and your family." I told him.

"It's okay, Wise Girl. My mom was all for the idea. Besides, you're lucky that I didn't get one of the more expensive ones." He tried to reason. I was about to remark, but he cut me off. "If you don't want it, I can't really return it, so..." I sighed, but that doesn't mean I wasn't angry.

"I will get you back." I warned. He just smiled at me. Gods, the nerve of that kid.

"I'll be waiting for that day." With one final glare, I turned back around to face my friends. Their jaws went slack. Whoops, I guess they never saw my necklace until now.

"Oh. My. Gods." Silena said slowly. That was pretty much my reaction. "It'll go great with the owl earrings I got you."

"It's beautiful." Katie gasped. Juniper nodded in agreement.

"Percy." Travis whined. "Seriously, why?"

"I wanted to make Annabeth's birthday special." Percy bluntly replied.

"Aww." Silena cooed once more.

"How about we look at that photo album now?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"There's a photo album, too?" Thalia said shocked. I nodded. I got out the album, and all my friends crowded around me. Percy, somehow, got seated next to me. I flipped through the pages, and they all consisted of my friends and I, but the majority were of Percy and I. As I got to about halfway through, every page after was empty.

"Yeah, about that." Percy rubbed his neck. "I thought that you could fill the rest of the album with pictures of the friends you will make in California. So that, you know, when you grow up, you can look back at all the memories, and stuff."

He was about to say more, but I cut him off. "Percy?"

"Yeah." He replied.

"You're rambling." He blushed, and I laughed. But, nevertheless, wrapped my arms around his neck, and hugged him tight. "Thank you." I whispered. "For everything." Percy put his arms around my waist, and hugged me back.

"Only the best for my Wise Girl."

I looked at him, and raised an eyebrow. "_Your_ Wise Girl?" I questioned. I tried to ignore the fact that our faces were just inches apart.

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

I laughed. "Nope. You're just getting a bit territorial, Seaweed Brain." He chuckled, but still had a faint blush on his cheeks. "Besides," I whispered. "You're my Seaweed Brain, too."

"Forever and always." He concluded.

"As long as we're together." I replied. "We can get through anything." We were interrupted from our little heart-to-heart by Thalia.

"Aww. You guys are so cute, I am going to cry." She then proceeded to wipe a fake tear from her eye.

"Percabeth!" Silena squealed.

"What?" Percy and I asked, at the same time.

"You're even talking at the same time. How adorable." Grover stated.

"Wait. What's 'Percabeth?'" Percy put little air quotes when he said Percabeth.

"Only you and Annabeth's ship name of course." Connor explained.

"I ship it!" Silena shrieked.

"Don't we all?" Travis muttered. "Hey guys?" He asked. We all turned to him, effectively cutting off any other conversation on the topic of "Percabeth." I couldn't be ever more thankful. "I think Percy gave the best gift." I rolled my eyes, but silently agreed.

Thankfully, Nico replied for me. "_No duh_."

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**I hope you liked it! I know that necklaces don't usually cost that much, but I wanted Percy to get her something expensive. You may review or PM me any suggestions on _Open This When..._ Topics. Even if I already thought of that idea, I'll still give you a shout-out. I'm not forcing you to review, though. Once again, sorry for any awkwardness, and the bipolar-ness. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow. I never thought that this story would get that great a response. (Well, to me it's great. Gods know that there are more successful stories than this, out there. [But I'm still happy, anyways.]) Shout-outs to everyone who reviewed/followed/favourited are in the A/N at the bottom of the page. There are also the replies to your reviews there. Hehe. The cover for this story was actually fun to make. Also, just a friendly reminder, IT'S OUR LITTLE SEAWEED BRAIN'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW! A-chem. Without further ado, here's the first letter chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. **

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**Chapter Two**

(Annabeth's POV)

My back slid down the closed bedroom door, with the box which contained Percy's letters clutched tightly to my chest. All my friends left around two hours ago, and I just finished my silent, yet awkward, dinner with my family. I looked around my room, now almost completely filled with boxes. All that was left were my bed, desk, near-empty bookcase, and a few clothes strewn around. I looked back down at the box, and saw that it was closed shut. When I first uncovered Percy's present, it was already open. I carefully examined the box. There was a tiny slot on the stomach of this tiny owl-shaped lock that just hung loose, connected to the bottom of the lid, by a silver chain. I noticed that the owl lock bore some resemblance to the owl necklace Percy also gave me. With curiosity overwhelming me, I took off the necklace, while carefully scrutinizing the pendant. There was nothing remotely small or slim enough to fit through the slot. When placed next to each other, the two owls looked almost exactly alike, as if they were two long-lost twins, brought back together, thanks to Percy. I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of my thoughts. Percy has been rubbing off on me, I guess. Speaking of Percy, I was just about to give up, and call him so that I can open this dang box, but my pride got in the way. Next time I speak to him, however, I will give him a _very_ stern talking to. On any other day, I would've loved the challenge, but right now I was too tired and impatient to deal with his little shenanigans. Can I just read the dang letter, please?! Gods. I was just about to call him (to Hades with pride), but a little pear-shaped green gemstone caught my eye. Sea-green to be exact. It was almost the same colour as Percy's eyes, but not quite. The little gem was located at nearly the exact same spot as the slot. Coincidence? I think not. While out on a whim, I pressed the tiny gem. When I did so, I heard a very faint _click_ sound, so inaudible, it was almost not heard. I could just practically imagine little gears turning inside the pendant. Finally after several seconds, a little tail of feathers popped out from underneath the owl's feet. I was awed. No wonder it cost that little Seaweed Brain so much money. I inserted the little "tail" into the slot, and heard yet another click. Nevertheless, the lid popped open, and I was greeted by the sight of the letters. Thank the gods. If that didn't work then I probably would've had to seek the assistance of Percy. Gods know how embarrassing _that_ would be. I took the first letter into my hands, the, "_Open This When...You Get These Letters,_" and ripped it open, using my nail. A skill I perfected over the years. I made a mental note to get a mail opener, that would be much more sufficient. I took out the letter, and it was filled with Percy's barely legible chicken-scratch writing. That made it no easier on my dyslexia, but considering the fact that I had years of practice, I eventually got used to it. In terms of both my dyslexia and Percy's sloppy writing.

_**Dearest Wise Girl,**_

It read. I tried to keep in a snort.

_**So, by now, you probably want to kill me for that little challenge. **_

Wow. He really does know me.

_**And I would want to kill me too, if that certain occurrence were to happen to me. **_

No duh, Seaweed Brain. He was probably one of the most impatient people I know.

_**But, I knew that a certain Wise Girl would be able to figure it out. (I mean you, if you didn't know.)**_

I rolled my eyes.

_**Though, you got to admit. That whole thing with the gem, and tail, and key, and lock thing, was actually pretty cool. Beckendorf's dad helped me with it. He's a genius. But, he still didn't give me a discount for knowing, and being friends with, his son. His prices are e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e, but worth it. Anything for my Wise Girl. **_

I felt my cheeks grow warm. Gods, he isn't even here, and yet he is making me blush. At least Selina isn't here to point out my fairly red cheeks, and then squeal about, a-hem, "Percabeth."

_**So, now you finally unlocked the box! Yay! Three cheers for Annabeth! Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip...Okay, Wise Girl, I can feel your glare and annoyance through the paper. Stop. Just, stop. **_

_You got that right, _I thought. My patience _was_ wearing thin.

_**Okay, so let's just cut to the chase. Hehe. Chase. Like Annabeth Chase. No? You don't get it? Fine, be that way! *Flips hair***_

I rolled my eyes once more. He was just obsessed with puns. Especially sea-related ones. I swear, if he incorporates them somewhere in these letters...

_**(If you can't tell, I love puns) So now, with all seriousness, I will explain in further detail, the reasoning behind these letters. Along with any following rules and regulations. **_

_Seaweed Brain..._

_**As you were probably wondering, you know that USB that was in this box? It contains files that you can only open when you reach a certain letter. The file name is the number you see on each letter's top right corner. Even if you tried opening it beforehand, you just...can't. Once you click on the file, it will ask you for a four-digit code, that will only be given in that certain letter. **_

Wow. He really did think this through.

_**Yes, Wise Girl. I did think this through. Although, I **_**did**_** need help from the Stoll's father, Hermes. (His prices aren't cheap too. See what great lengths I go for you? You better be thankful.)**_

I am.

_**Anyways, as you already probably guessed, you cannot read any letters, if you haven't accomplished the required criteria. Although, let's just say, that for certain letters, who just so happen to have a star in the bottom right-hand corner, if you do not accomplish that task before you're...30 perhaps, then I will allow you to open it whenever. Yes, loophole! You're welcome. **_

Thank you.

_**Although... there **_**are**_** some letters that you can open every year if you want. It'll feel just like the first time! Some examples would be Christmas, New Years, your birthday, etc. etc. **_

Wow. He must've thought of everything.

_**Yep, Wise Girl. I got it all figured out. I mostly included important and/or highly significant dates and whatnot. You. Are. Welcome. (Once again.)**_

Thank you. (Once again.)

_**As I most likely told you at your birthday party, I still have more letters to write. **_

You don't have to.

_**I know I don't have to, but I want to. I wanted to make our wittle Annie's bwirfday spwecial. (Say it with a baby's voice. I swear it is not my dyslexia.)**_

I'm not going to do that.

_**Though I know you are not going to do that. You are way too mature and prideful. **_

I felt the corners of my mouth tug up into a small smile.

_**Anyways, you are probably wondering, "Why is this letter so... somewhat properly well written?" **_

The thought _has_ crossed my mind.

_**Well, the answer to your moderately good question, is, drumroll please *drumroll* that I got my mom to proofread it for me!**_

_Aww_, Percy.

_**In my defense she wanted to do it. Unless you wanted this supposed-to-be-meaningful letter filled with random gibberish, I suggest that you don't judge me. She probably knew that too, so she oh-so-generously offered to read over the letters. Sure some were a bit...embarrassing (to put it mildly), but I'm pretty sure that there is practically nothing in these letters that she doesn't already know. **_

_You are _such_ a momma's boy, _I thought, with a bit of a laugh, and with a bit of envy. Sure things with Helen, my step-mother, are better now compared to before, but she still doesn't compare to my real mom. She doesn't compare to Sally.

_**Yes, I know. I **_**am**_** such a momma's boy. I'm a momma's boy, and I'm proud of it! What, Chase? Besides, she wants the best for you. And if that means wasting her time proofreading a letter, probably worth an F- in terms of grammatical skills if she never read it over, then gods-forbid, she'll do it! She'll do anything for you, like how I would. I guess it runs in the family. **_

I felt my cheeks colour, once more.

_**Besides, she already treats you like a daughter. I swear, sometimes she loves you more than me! And that's just sad. **_

A small laugh escaped my mouth, _not_ of my own free-will, mind you.

_**She always tries to reassure me that that will never happen, and that she loves us both equally, but...See? She loves you and you two aren't even blood-related! It's so unfair! I'm pretty sure she would've adopted you if not for certain...reasons. Besides, I think we both know who her favourite is, in this relationship. **_

My eyes lingered on that one word for a little bit. _Relationship..._

_**It's you, if you haven't figured it out. I'm sure she loves you more. You're like that perfect daughter every parent wants. You are the daughter that she can never have. I mean you're smart, athletic, mature, level-headed, determined, confident, etc. Just overall perfect! **_

I frowned a bit. I'm not perfect. And there's something about the way that Percy is describing me. If I just read in between the lines...

_**I know that you have your imperfections, but I mean it in a good way. Your imperfections make you, you! **_

I guess you can now say that my, "Frown turned upside-down."

_**By the way, my mom didn't read this part. (Thank the gods for Microsoft Word and autocorrect.) I much rather prefer to keep my insecurities to myself. You should be honoured, as a matter of fact, that I am sharing this classified information with you. There's just something about you that makes me want to spill out my darkest secrets, and talk to you about everything. (Thank the gods for self-control.)**_

Those lines made me want to smile and frown at the same time. Smile because Percy trusted me enough with his secrets, and frown because his secret was that he was insecure. Let me tell you, there is a fine line between modest and insecure, and I always thought that he was just being modest. Now I found out that he was...gods. I never knew. (And maybe that was the problem) Mental to-do list: Give Percy a serious self-esteem talk, after a stern talking to about that little challenge. That just leads me to wonder, what else has he been hiding from me?

_**I'm sorry, but everyone has a few secrets that they feel the need to keep to themselves, and I have a couple. I'm sure that you have some too, so you should understand. **_

I _do_ have some. I _do_ understand.

_**Maybe one day, I will tell them to you. When I feel that the time is right. When it's for the best. Although, maybe that day won't come at all. And maybe I'll probably just die with the guilt and regret. **_

Don't you _dare _talk about your death.

_**And hopefully one day, you will tell me your secrets. **_

_Maybe..._

_**I want to ease your burden, not give you more. What are friends for, right?**_

Oh, I don't know. Maybe just as people that you hang with, so that you don't seem like a loner? That's what I was just looking for, when I needed friends. But, then you came along and changed my whole perspective. Thank you Percy, I guess.

_**You are the bestest friend a guy can ask for Annabeth. **_

Not a word, Seaweed Brain. Though, I appreciate the sentiment.

_**I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me. Gods. I don't know where I'd be without you here by my side. **_

Ditto.

_**I'll probably be even more troublesome and egotistical and pretty much everything I hate. Gods forbid, I'll probably still be in the fourth grade! **_

_Okay..._ Maybe not so "ditto," on that particular part. But, you can never be egotistical, Seaweed Brain. It's just against your nature.

_**So thank you, from both my mom and I. She would like to thank you for keeping me "in line," and for keeping my studies straight. My mom would also like to say hi. **_

I laughed a bit. _Hi Sally!_

**I'd **_**like to thank you for all those days you'd help me with my homework, (maybe even do it, on days when I'm lucky, and you're in a good mood) and for letting me cheat on you (test-wise. It sounds wrong if I didn't clarify it with you. It's not like we're in a lovey-dovey relationship. **_

I sighed. Yeah, we weren't in a relationship.

_**[Even if we were, I still wouldn't cheat on you. Personal loyalty, remember? **_

I remember. How could I forget that fatal flaw we all agreed upon, and gave to you?

_**On tests, however...]).**_

_Wow _Seaweed Brain. Why am I not surprised?

_**Anyways. Thank you Wise Girl. For everything. **_

Thank _you_, Seaweed Brain.

_**Wow. I really got off topic. **_

Yes. Yes you did.

_**Also, you are not allowed to share any of these letters with anyone. Unless you either have my permission, or if it is a "life-or-death situation."**_

_Unfair..._

_**Gods know what will happen if these letters get into the wrong hands. Imagine the blackmail. **_

Fine. I guess it's understandable.

_***Cough* Thalia *Cough* Stolls *Cough* All our friends *Cough* Wow. I think I'm catching a cold. **_

I rolled my eyes. _Seaweed Brain._

_**Nope. Never mind. I'm all good. **_

_Sure_ you are.

**Now**_** do you understand why the content inside these letters must be kept a secret?**_

I understand.

_**I'm sure you do. You **_**are **_**a Wise Girl, no? **_

I am.

_**So yeah. Unless you have my permission, or if it is absolutely necessary. Other than that, secret. Shhh. No. Hush, child. **_

I'm not a child. As a matter of fact, I'm _older_ than you.

_**Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No need to give me that whole "age" argument again. I heard it enough times to memorize it. (That's way more than enough.) Before you know it, I'll be muttering it in my sleep. By then, you'll know I have a problem. Thanks to you. **_

You're welcome.

_**Besides, it's only one month and six days. When you're 30 and I'm 29, who's going to be laughing then? That's right, me!**_

But, when I'm 18, and you're 17, who's going to be laughing then? Me.

_**Alright, so all age issues aside, what else is there to say? Hmm. My favorite colour is blue. I love swimming. My mom's cooking is the best! (Yours aren't that bad, either.) And I love the beach and cookies! Oh. My. Gods. Imagine eating cookies, **_**at**_** the beach! Then going off for a swim, not caring for cramps. **_

You should care, considering the first time...

_**Don't you dare mention the first time! Okay then, maybe no swimming. How about a campfire? And s'mores...Oh my gods. S'mores. Then, maybe before that, we can watch the sunset. And after that, we camp out under the stars, looking at the constellations. **_

I raised an eyebrow. _We?_ I don't think he noticed him using that particular use of pronoun. Although, that choice of scenery _did_ sound nice.

_**BEST DAY EVER! Okay, maybe not. But, **_**one **_**of the best days, for sure. Meeting you would probably be there too. **_

Aww, Percy.

_**My mom cooed when she read that line. Wise Girl, she is scaring me. She's grinning at me. Now she's laughing at me. As a matter of fact, she grinned throughout this whole letter. Wise Girl, I'm worried. Now she's talking about us. Oh gods. She's just like Silena. I think they spent way too much time together. A few days is too much. Wise Girl, HEELLLLPPPPP!**_

I rolled my eyes. He's _way _too dramatic. But, then again, Sally's reaction does seem pretty realistic. Gods know how many times she gave us a certain knowing look whenever she just so happens to be there whenever Percy and I hang out. It _was_ fairly creepy. As if she knew something we didn't. Who knows, maybe she does.

_**Next thing you know, she's going to keep telling me about how her baby is growing up too fast, and whatnot. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom, but sometimes she's just too much. (Mind you, she never read this part.)**_

I don't think anyone can deny the love you have for your mom. You pretty much point it out to everyone you meet.

_**Okay, so now we are nearing the end of this letter. Yes. Yes. I know how disappointed you are, but remember, there are loads more for you to open. Now, all that needs to be said is an oath. As you are probably wondering, "How will I know that you said this oath?" **_

How _will_ you know?

_**Well, I can never be sure, can I? So, as an answer to this reasonable question...Skype me.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Your Seaweed Brain **_

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Sorry if it was a disappointment as a letter. You got to admit, though. If that whole necklace-turned-key thing was actually real, it would be pretty cool. Sorry that Percy is really ADHD in his letter. (If you didn't tell, I say sorry a _lot_.) Okay, so now time for shout-outs. Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/followed/favourited (in no particular order). If you PMed, you are still here. **

**WiseGirl5: Thank you!**

**Apollos daughter: Thank you! So yeah, this chapter was an "_Open This When...,_" but the next few chapters will be on Annabeth's last few days in New York. It will probably be every few chapters or so that are OTWs' (Open This Whens'), then some chapters on just everyday life. (I hope that that answered your question.)**

**DauntlessDemigod: Thank you! Don't worry, I don't plan on abandoning this story anytime soon. Most of your letter ideas I already planned on doing, so they aren't weird at all. (I'll still give you a shout-out.)**

**Lilianne Chase: Thank you! It's okay, I already thought of some of your ideas, so I'm probably using them anyways. (Don't worry, I'll give you a shout-out on those chapter[s])**

**CrazyWriter7586: I'll think about it. It's just that the idea is too vague, but maybe I'll rope it in one of the other letters (still giving you credit, though). Hopefully I didn't offend you or anything.**

**zoenightshadedamsnckbar (dang that's long): Thanks. I'll give you a shout-out on those chapters. **

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**AustinWritesThePJBooks: Thanks. I'll give you a shout-out on that chapter. **

**Epicness by Liv: Thank you!**

**Calypso Atlas: Thanks. I'll give you a shout out on those chapters. I like the last one though. It's so simple yet...deep and meaningful. **

**Anne29293**

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**percabeth46hunters**

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**Whew. That took a while. Sorry that the shout-out/thanks part is kind of long, and probably gave you false hope that this chapter was quite long. (To whom it may concern, the actual chapter was like 2800+ words long.) So yeah. I'm going on this three-day Canada bus-tour thing this weekend, so the next chapter would probably be either this Friday, or next Monday or Tuesday. (That is, if there is no WiFi over there.) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, shout-outs are at the bottom of the page. You guys are lucky I'm posting this early. I just might as well update every Friday then. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. **

* * *

**Chapter Three**

(Annabeth's POV)

"Hey stranger!" Percy's face filled up the entire computer screen. "It's been a while."

I rolled my eyes. "It's only been approximately three hours, Seaweed Brain."

He shook his head. "That's still too long."

"Aww. Does wittle Percy miss me already?" I cooed.

His cheeks reddened. "Shut up."

I laughed. "Don't worry. We're still hanging out tomorrow, right?"

Percy nodded enthusiastically. "Yup. You. Me. Movie Night. Sleep over. Popcorn. We need to spend as much time as possible before you move away."

"Geez Percy. What about my _other _friends?" I asked. "You need to learn how to share."

"Nope. Never going to happen. _I'm_ your best friend. _I'm_ your top priority."

I shook my head. "No, you're not. You're probably my fifth or something."

He put his hands over his heart, and mock pouted. "You wound me. Greatly."

"Stop being such a drama queen, Seaweed Brain."

"Me? A drama queen? _Pssh._ As if."

"Whatever you say, Seaweed Brain. Whatever you say."

He opened his mouth to retort, but another voice cut him off. "Percy? Who are you talking to?" I saw Sally's head peek through his bedroom door, and her face brightened when she saw me. "Annabeth! How wonderful it is to see you! I haven't seen you in _forever_."

"It's only been two days, Mom," Percy sighed. I gave him a pointed look. _Hypocrite. _

Sally waved her hand through the air. "It's still too long. You're coming over tomorrow, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, Miss Jackson."

"Oh, dear. How many times am I going to have to say this. Call me Sally. You'd think after 10 years, you'd get used to it." Her face lit up, as if she suddenly had a marvelous idea. "Or better yet, call me Mom."

Percy had an incredulous look on his face. "Mom!"

Sally still remained indifferent. "Oh honey, please. At this rate, she might as well get used to it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Percy asked, with very red cheeks.

"All in due time, my son. All in due time." She turned to me, or rather, the computer screen. "I cannot wait to see you again, in person! Gods, it _has_ been a while." Her face lit up, again. "That reminds me, I better make something. I just need to get some ingredients and...oh it's too late now. The grocery store is probably already closed. Maybe if I just hurry...I better go and then cook it early tomorrow. What time are you coming?"

"Err. Maybe ten or something." I replied

"Ten?! That's too early!" Percy protested.

"Yes. Yes. Of course. I better go. Bye Annabeth! See you tomorrow." Sally said, as she started exiting the room.

"Bye Miss...um I mean Sally." I called after her.

"Mom!" She screamed back, and then she shut the door.

"Well. That was..." I struggled to find the right word, but Percy beat me to it.

"Weird? Uncomfortable? Random? Totally unnecessary? Awkward? Embarrassing? Scarring? All of the above?" Percy asked.

"I was going to say unique or different, but I guess all of the above works."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. It's not like it's your fault, right?"

"I guess." Something was a bit off about Percy, but I let it slide.

"So..." I drawled. "The letters?"

His face brightened. "Oh right! The oath!"

"Before the oath," I started. "There's something I wanted to say."

He looked a bit worried, and he had every right to be, but nevertheless, he said, "Go on."

I sighed. "Percy, Sally doesn't love me more than you."

"Yes she does! You heard her right now. She said you can call her Mom, and you two aren't even related!"

"I'm sure she has other reasons."

His face turned a bit red. "Maybe she does, but still!"

"Percy." I said very sternly. "Why are you so insecure?" His mouth opened to protest, but I cut him off. "And don't you dare try to deny it!"

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, resembling a gaping fish. "I prefer modest, thank you very much."

"Percy. There is a thin line between modest and insecure."

"I erased that line?" He reasoned, though it sounded more like a question.

"So what? You're insecurely modest?"

"Yes...?"

"Percy." I sighed. "Do I need to give you a good self-esteem talk?"

His eyes widened. "No! Of course not."

"I think I do."

"Please, no." He pleaded. "My mom already thought I had low self-esteem, and gods know how many prep talks she has given me over the course of several years."

"Well, you _are_ insecure."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes. You are."

"Can we not talk about this, please?" He started using his puppy-dog eyes on me now, and that's when I knew that he meant it. Gods, that kid thinks he can get away with everything using that method, doesn't he? Well, it _does_ work.

"Fine." His face started to brighten up, but I wasn't letting him go this easily. "For now."

His face fell a little bit. "I'll take what I can get."

"So," I started. "The oath?"

"Right! Okay Annabeth. Put your right hand over your heart and the other held in the air, beside your head. Like this." He demonstrated the action, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you serious right now?"

"Dead serious." I sighed, but did the action, nevertheless. "Good, now repeat after me. 'I Annabeth Minerva Chase,"

"I Annabeth Minerva Chase."

"'Solemnly swear to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poor, in si-" I cut him off.

"Percy. We aren't getting married." I said slowly, as if talking to a four-year-old. Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone just as quickly. I blamed it on the computer screen

"Of course not. Why would we?" He laughed a bit nervously. Once again, I blamed it on the computer. "Okay, so now, with all seriousness, repeat after me. 'I Annabeth Minerva Chase, solemnly swear to not reveal any content that the letters Perseus Jackson has given to me.'" He used his full name, which he _never _uses. This must be serious then. "Given the circumstances that Mr. Jackson has given Miss Chase permission, and/or if there is a life or death situation, _then_ will Miss Chase be allowed to reveal said information. Other than that, everything inside these letters must remain a secret." I repeated his words. It felt odd saying my own name in third person, but I guess I had no choice. Percy then had me repeat a bunch of other rules and regulations, and after several minutes, we were finally done. "Now swear it on the Styx."

"I swear on the River Styx that I will keep this oath." I said, monotonously.

He shook his head in disappointment. "You need to have more expression in your life." I just shrugged my shoulders, as if saying, "What can you do?"

I looked over at the time. It was already 1 a.m. I can already feel the effects of tiredness starting to take over. "Have we _really_ been talking for over three hours?"

He too looked at the time, as if he never realized how much time has passed by. "I guess so."

"I better go to bed."

"Yeah. Me too.

"Goodnight."

"Night." We still never disconnected the call. "You hang up first."

I laughed. "No. You hang up first." I said, in a highly-pitched voice, that sounded so unnatural, even to my own ears. We held each other's gaze for no more than two seconds, before we burst into a fit of giggles. I blamed the drowsiness starting to take over, and it messing with our emotions. "Oh...my...gods." I managed between laughs. We finally gained our bearings, but fits of giggles managed to escape every few seconds or so.

"Your voice." Percy started to laugh once more.

"I know. And then that whole, 'You hang up first' thing." I started giggling. And mind you, I very seldom giggle. "It's not like we're dating or anything."

Percy's eyes flashed with something. Was that disappointment? I blamed the sleep-depravity for making me imagine things. "Yeah. We're not."

"Oh gods. The lack of sleep is starting to make us delirious."

"Indeed."

I started laughing once more. "Did you just say 'indeed?'" That little Seaweed Brain had the grace to look embarrassed. "Gods. Who says that anymore?"

"People." Percy muttered.

"We should probably go to bed. We got a long day tomorrow. Or technically today." I corrected myself.

"Yeah we should."

"Night Seaweed Brain."

"Night Wise Girl." I ended the call, Percy's huge grin being the last thing I see. So if I go to bed, with a small smile on my face, I guess you can blame it all on that little Seaweed Brain.

* * *

I woke up to small rays of sunlight filling my room. The clock read 8:12 a.m., _way_ too early for summer, even in my standards. With all hopes of falling asleep lost, I reluctantly got up from my very soft and comfy bed. Oh well, I can always take a nap at Percy's. I then proceeded to do my normal morning routine in a zombie-like state. Blame that on having to rely on a seven-hour sleep to get through the day. After taking a shower and then changing into a t-shirt and shorts, since it _was_ going to be moderately hot outside, I went downstairs to eat breakfast. Geez. Even Helen and my dad weren't up yet. I made myself a quick meal, which just consisted of cereal and milk, and ate quite awkwardly, since I was all by myself, with only the faint sound of snores and cars keeping me company.

After about twenty minutes, I finally finished eating my meal and washing the bowl and spoon. I went back upstairs to see what I needed to pack for the little sleepover, if anything at all. Let's see, I can borrow any of their clothes, I have a toothbrush there, Hades, I even have some of my books there, so I don't think I need to bring anything. It's practically like my second home. I looked at the clock and it was only 9 o'clock, still. I guess it wouldn't hurt going to their place a bit early, even if it was only a five minute walk to their place. My family was still asleep when I was about to leave the house. I silently envied the fact that they could sleep for long periods of time, when wanted. I wrote down a quick note for them and left it on the kitchen counter.

_Woke up early. Decided to go to Percy's. Remember, we have that sleepover. Don't know what time we'll finish tomorrow. I'll call before I leave their house. _

_Love,_

_Annabeth_

Once content with my letter, I left the house. All I brought with me were my wallet, keys, and phone. Everything else is pretty much available at Percy's apartment. Today was an exceptionally beautiful day. Right now, it's pretty mild, with a slight breeze, but it was for sure going to turn humid later on. After approximately seven minutes (I took my time), I finally arrived at Percy's door. While using my spare key, I entered their apartment. Immediately, the smell of cookies overwhelmed me.

"Sally?" I asked.

"In here." I heard a faint voice reply. I walked towards the direction of the voice, and found myself in none other than the kitchen. Of course. Once I stepped into the room, Sally immediately stopped what she was doing and engulfed me in a hug. After a while she finally released me. "It's been so long."

I silently agreed. "What are you making?"

"Cookies. I was hoping that the smell would waft into Percy's room and wake him up, so that he can help me with preparations, before you came over. But, I guess you can see that all my attempts were futile." Sally let out a little laugh.

"You shouldn't be surprised. That guy could sleep through an entire earthquake."

"That he can. Help yourself to some cookies." Sally said. She probably noticed me eyeballing the delicacies. I didn't need to be told twice. Once I took a bite out of the cookie, my mouth literally watered. The cookie practically melted in my mouth, and it was still warm.

"This is so good." I told her, once I finished chewing.

She laughed again. "Thank you. At least you have manners. Percy would have told me that through a mouthful of cookie dough. I did_ not_ have to see the what the remains of cookies look like when you chew them." It was my turn to laugh now. Sally was just so easy to hang out with, and she can easily put a smile on your face, no matter what type of mood you are in. Percy is like that too, I guess it runs in the family. "Speaking of Percy, would you mind waking him up? I don't want the cookies to get cold, and besides, you are probably the only person that _can _wake him up. It even takes myself several minutes."

"No problem. If he doesn't wake up, then _I'm_ always here to finish the cookies for him. Besides, your cookies will still taste good if it's cold. Even if it was several days old, as a matter of fact."

Sally smiled at me. "Thank you. But we wouldn't want a cranky Percy when he wakes up, now would we? Gods know how he can be at times."

"True." I got up from my seat, while taking a couple cookies, and made my way to Percy's bedroom. Once I opened his door, I was greeted with a lot of blue, and a lot of mess. The walls were a light blue, his bed sheets were blue, and I even saw a stuffed blue cookie plush that I got Percy. They don't normally sell that in stores, but I have my resources. Clothes were strewn around the room, and there were a bunch of wrappers littering the floors.

I carefully made my way over to Percy's bed, and then wafted a cookie near his nose. "Wake up Seaweed Brain." Percy mumbled something that I couldn't comprehend, and then he turned in his bed. I sighed. "Wake up." I shook his shoulder. He still remained impassive. My patience was starting to wear thin. I took a bite out of one of the cookies, and then placed them on a napkin I brought with me. He was giving me no other choice, I guess I'd have to use other methods. I made my way over to his feet, and dragged him out of the bed. He landed in a crumpled ball, near my feet, on the floor.

"What the Hades, Annabeth?" Percy's voice croaked, the effects of sleep probably still having an toll on him. His hair was more messy than usual, and his eyes were sort of drooping. I smirked and ruffled his hair, making it even messier, if possible.

"You weren't waking up, so I had to resort to extreme measures." I made my way over to the cookies I placed on his nightstand, and took another bite.

"Is that...cookies?" Percy asked, now probably wide awake. I nodded, while waving the cookie in front of my face.

"It's _so_ good." I taunted. Percy stood up, and made his way over to me.

"Give me cookie!" I laughed at him, and still continued eating my cookie. Over exaggerating every bite, every chew. "Now!"

"Then come and get it." I took the cookies and made my way over to the bedroom door. I was about two feet away, before Percy tackled me, softly, of course. I landed on my back, with Percy's clothes on the ground, softening the blow. For once, I was thankful for the mess. Percy had his hands beside my face, planted on the ground, and his knees near my stomach. His face was only inches away. He was so close, that I can see the specks of blue in his eyes.

"Cookie." Percy demanded.

I shook my head. "Too bad." I kicked him off me, probably not too softly, and ran out of the room.

"Is he awake?" Sally asked, once I entered the kitchen.

"Yup." I replied. Percy entered the room a few minutes later, limping a bit. I sort of felt bad. All the kid wanted was a cookie.

"Meany." Percy muttered as he passed by me, stuffing two cookies in his mouth, along the way. My nose scrunched up. How does that even fit in his mouth? Even then, how can he even manage to chew without choking?

"You deserved it."

"All I wanted was a cookie!"

"And...?"

"You could've given me a cookie!"

"I didn't want to give you a cookie."

"Why not?"

"You're acting like a two-year-old right now."

"Wise Girl!" Percy whined.

"Seaweed Brain." I replied, imitating his voice.

"So," Sally started, interrupting our little banter. "What are you two planning on doing today?"

"We _were _going to have a Movie Night, but since it's day right now-"

Percy interrupted me. "We," he said, gesturing between himself and I, "Are going to the park."

"We are, are we?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes. We are."

Sally looked at our little exchange, while shaking her head. "You two are so cute."

We both blushed beet-red. "No we're not!" We protested at the same time.

Sally laughed. "You two are even speaking at the same time! How adorable."

"You _do_ spend too much with Silena." I noted, referencing to what Percy said in his letters.

"That she does." Percy whispered. "We should go before she busts out the "OTP's" and "Percabeths."

"When?" I asked.

"In five minutes. That should give me enough time to finish the cookies."

I laughed. "Seaweed Brain."

"Wise Girl."

"Aww." Sally cooed. "I should take a picture and send it to Silena. Maybe she could put it on the website."

"There's a website about Percy and I?" I said, incredulously.

"Percabeth technically. Whoops. I said that out loud, didn't I? Oh well. I ship it!" Sally squealed.

Percy suddenly stood up. "Oh gods, it's happening sooner than I expected." He turned to me. "We should go. _Now._" Percy took a hold of my hand, and dragged me towards the door, leaving Sally's squeals long behind us.

* * *

**Sorry, I just imagine Sally as this huge Percabeth fangirl. Anyways, I hope you liked it! That whole "It's happening sooner than I expected" is just an exaggeration. It'll explain in the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who favourited/followed/reviewed. The people here are just the new ones, so if you don't see your name here, then it's probably in the chapter previous. Once again, any suggestions for "Open This Whens" are still open. **

**DauntlessDemigod: Aww, thanks. It's not even perfect, but I appreciate the compliment! And, you're welcome. **

**WiseGirl5: I probably already replied to you, but oh well. Thanks for the feedback!**

**guest: Thank you!**

**Liliane Chase: Thanks! And, you're welcome. **

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**Guest: Thank you! **

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**Okay. I think that's everybody. If I forgot you, and you're not in the previous chapter, then just tell me, and I'll put you in the next one. **


	4. Chapter 4

**I joined FanFiction one year ago, _today_, so Happy Anniversary to me! I guess. Just so you know, I start school next week, so I'll try to keep updating every Friday. So yeah, thanks and stuff are at the bottom of the page. I actually did my research for this chapter. Like with Google maps and everything. I wanted to be precise. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. I also don't own the Friendship Oath mentioned in this chapter. I could never create something as great as that. Every poem I write sounds okay in my mind, but stupid when said aloud. **

* * *

**Chapter Four**

(Annabeth's POV)

It should usually take only ten to fifteen minutes to walk from Percy's apartment to Central Park, so that gave us _lots _of time to talk.

"Sorry about her." Percy muttered.

"It's okay. What did you mean when you said that_, 'It's happening sooner than you expected?_'" I asked.

"Oh that? I just meant that my mom was turning into a-gods forbid-fangirl." He shuddered, despite the warm weather.

I rolled my eyes. "You are being way too dramatic right now, Seaweed Brain."

"It's the truth. Why don't _you_ try living with a fangirl in your house?"

I thought of Bobby and Matthew. "How about fanboys? Besides, what's so bad about fangirls?" I got a bit defensive, since I had my fair share of fangirl moments.

"Nothing. It's just...my mom keeps talking about us in _that_ sense."

"Your mom _does_ know that we are just friends, right?"

"We are best friends. Of course she knows that, it's just-" He struggled to find the right words.

"What?"

He shook his head, as if shaking away all his problems. "Never mind. She is just probably one of those people who thinks that guys and girls can't _just _be friends. Besides, what with all of our friends always hinting at us and whatnot, gods know what is going on inside their heads."

"True." I contemplated. "Then we'll just prove them wrong, right Seaweed Brain?" I looped my arm through his.

"Right." His voice came out a bit strangled. As if someone just sucked the breath right out of his lungs.

"So, what are your plans for us today?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking-" He was cut off by a voice screaming our names.

"Percy!"

"Annabeth!"

"Percabeth!"

We turned around, and saw none other than our friends waving at us. Gods, do they follow us everywhere? The Stolls were the first to reach us. I made sure to keep a hand on all of my belongings. Although, they should know by now to never mess with me.

"How is our favorite couple doing today?" The taller one-Travis-asked.

"Out on one of your secret dates, are we?" Connor teased.

"We are not dating." Percy said.

"Not yet, anyways." Silena replied. I noticed that some members of our group were not here.

"Where's Thalia, Nico, Juniper, and Grover?" I questioned.

"Still sleeping, probably." Travis responded.

"Well, Juniper and Grover have that 'Save the Wild' campaign." Katie said.

"Why _are _you guys here?" Percy asked. I was wondering the same thing.

They all looked at each other. "Well," Silena started. "We were all going to go to the mall, and then we saw you guys, and decided to catch up."

"At 10:30-ish-11:00 in the morning?" I said suspiciously.

"You were going to go to the mall without us?" Percy whined. Gods, he needs to get his priorities straight.

"Err, yes?" Travis replied, though it sounded more like a question.

"Why didn't you invite us?" Percy insisted. Gods, he was still hung up on that?

"We didn't want to bug you." Connor reasoned.

"And you call this not bugging us?" Percy exclaimed. Geez. Does he really want to go to the mall or something? Although, he _does_ have a point.

"We just wanted to say hi." Silena responded.

"Are you sure you're not just stalking us, or something?" I asked.

"_Whaaat_?" Travis said.

"Pssh. Of course not." Connor insisted.

"Sure. Sure." Percy muttered.

"We should go now." Beckendorf insisted. Geez. He was so quiet, I forgot he was here.

"But Charlie!" Silena whined to her boyfriend. She was the only person allowed to call him that. It's weird. They're only 14 or 15 and they are dating. In my opinion, that's still too young. Even if there are people who dated in the third grade. Gods. I'm pretty sure back then some guys still thought that girls had "cooties."

"Come on. I'll buy you something from your favourite store." Beckendorf bargained.

Silena's eyes lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Silena started dragging her boyfriend's arm. "Bye Percabeth!"

I rolled my eyes. "Bye Charlena." Two can play at the "ship" game.

Percy played along. "OTP!"

Silena giggled. "I ship us." She told her boyfriend.

"I thought we were Beckelina?" Beckendorf asked Silena.

"Either one works." She replied.

"You two are cute." Travis mused. "It's sickening."

"Now all we have to wait for is Percabeth, Gruniper, and Tratie." Connor mentioned.

"Tratie?" Katie spluttered. "Like me and Travis? Ew. No offense, but never going to happen." Travis nodded his head.

"Just you wait." I said.

"I mean everyone knows you like each other. It's so obvious." Percy told them. Connor, Katie, and Travis all looked at him incredulously, as if saying, "Are you serious, right now?"

Travis shook his head. "Let's just go guys."

"Bye!" Katie exclaimed. Connor just waved his hand.

After they rounded the corner, Percy let out a sigh. "Thank the gods. That was just really random." We continued walking to Central Park. Thanks to our friends, we are now left with an awkward silence. "So..." Percy started. I mentally snorted at his fail attempt at "small talk."

"Your plans...?" I asked, deciding to help him out after seeing his flustered expression.

Percy's face lit up. "Right! So, I was thinking that maybe we could hang out in Central Park for a bit, get some ice-cream, who knows? We'll just go with the flow."

I rolled my eyes at his so-called "plan." It was just too disorganized and... spontaneous. "You didn't think this through, did you?"

"Not at all!"

"Why am I not surprised?" I muttered.

"Hey!" He protested. By now, we already reached Central Park.

"Where to?" I asked. It _was_ his plan, after all.

Percy gave me a boyish grin, showing off his little dimples. "Ladies pick."

I rolled my eyes, once again. "Fine."

I started walking throughout the park, heading towards The Pond. It's one of Percy's favourite places in Central Park, and after going there a couple times, the place sort of grew on me, I guess. The Pond is a place where you can just sort of ignore the "hustle-and-bustle" of New York, and just pretend that you are far away from the city. It's really peaceful there, and absolutely amazing at sunset. Even if we are extremely impatient to reach The Pond, going there is _so_ worth the ten minute walk.

After an excruciating several minutes, we finally reached our destination. Since all the park benches were, unfortunately, all occupied, Percy and I just sat on the ground. Thankfully, the grass was warm, and not wet or anything. I looked around at the pond, then at all the families playing in the park, and just sighed in contentment. My head subconsciously turned to my right, and I looked at Percy. He had a small smile on his face, and was leaning backwards on his arms. I hated to disturb his little peaceful moment, but...whoever said that I was going to make things easy for him?

"Seaweed Brain?" I poked his cheek, where a small dimple appeared, as a result from his smile.

He turned to look at me. "Yeah?"

"What now?"

"You pick." He repeated.

I rolled my eyes. "It's your turn."

He smiled. "Now. We wait."

I groaned. "For what?"

"For inspiration to strike."

"Well, considering the fact that your head is full of kelp, that is going to take a while." I flopped onto my back, trying to get comfortable.

"Meany." Percy grumbled, but nevertheless followed suit after a while. I desperately wished that I had brought a book with me, so I at least had_ something_ to do.

"Percy?" I asked. He grumbled a response in return. "Entertain me." He turned onto his side, so that he was facing me. I did the same.

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Now how exactly am I going to entertain the great Annabeth Chase?"

"Surely your seaweed-filled brain can think of _something_."

"You really think I am capable of that?"

"Unless you would rather talk about your insecurities..." That seemed to do the trick.

"Okay, fine! Just give me a few minutes."

"I'm waiting." I half-sang.

For the next few minutes or so, Percy's eyebrows were scrunched up in concentration, and his tongue was ever-so-slightly licking his top lip. He looked so deep in thought and completely intent on finding some way to amuse me, that it was actually kind of adorable the way that he tried so hard. I suddenly felt this strange urge to want to smooth out the wrinkles on his forehead with my fingertips, but I suppressed the feeling.

Percy's face suddenly lit up. "You wanna play a game?" I winced at his use of "wanna," instead of "want to."

"No."

"Come on." He tried to reason.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"What are we? Five?"

"No. If anything, we're seven."

I rolled my eyes. "Percy. We are not playing a game."

"Why not?" He whined.

"We are too old to play games."

"You can never be too old to play games."

"Yeah, okay. Tell me that again when your 80."

He opened his mouth to retort, but he quickly closed it. He finally re-opened it after a couple seconds. "You really expect us to still be friends by the time we're 80?"

I frowned. "Why not? Best Friends Forever, right?"

"Of course!" He quickly replied. Percy probably thought he offended me or something. That little Seaweed Brain. "It's just...Are you sure that you wouldn't be sick of me by then, and then kick me out of your life?"

I felt as if he was holding something back, but decided not to press it. I rolled my eyes, anyways. "Percy. If I could last nine years with you, I'm pretty sure I could last another 66."

"That's what you think. Sixty years from now is a long way."

"Are you really that doubtful about our friendship?"

He winced. "Of course not! It's just...a lot can happen in a year, imagine 60!"

I sighed. "Percy, if this is about me moving away, then I can assure you that nothing will change, okay?"

He avoided my gaze. "I guess..."

I sighed, once more. Suddenly, an idea struck, and I stood up. With some difficulty, may I add. "That's it." I said, while brushing imaginary dirt off my jeans. "Stand up."

Percy sat up, looking at me with confusion clear in his eyes. "Why?"

"Just do it." Thankfully, Percy knew what was good for him, and stood up. "Now stand in front of me." He did as was instructed. Good boy. I looked him square in the eye, and he met my gaze. "I think that it's time for us to renew our Friendship Oath." I said with as much seriousness as I can muster.

Percy, despite his slight mood, had a corner of his mouth tug up a bit, into a small smile. Good. At least we're getting somewhere. I'm not used to this slightly depressed Percy. It's just not in his nature. He's supposed to be happy and carefree and annoying, and whatnot. Not moody. We both fake-cleared our throats, and started reciting our oath, in perfect sync.

_"When you are sad...I will dry your tears._

_When you are scared...I will comfort your fears._

_When you are worried...I will give you hope._

_When you are confused...I will help you cope._

_And when you are lost...And can't see the light._

_I shall be your beacon...Shining ever so bright._

_This is my oath...I pledge till the end._

_Why you may ask?...Because your my best friend."_

Once we finished our little "oath," Percy and I couldn't help but smile.

"Handshake?" Percy asked.

"Handshake." I confirmed.

Percy and I then proceeded to do this complicated array of body movement, that somehow turned into our official "Friendship Handshake;" mirroring each others' actions, exactly. We created this, along with our oath, four years ago, on our Five-Year Friend-iversery. It was a completely random and absurd thought, that resulted from far too many movies, re-runs of our favourite shows, and that awful thing known as boredom. What else do you expect from two ADHD ten-year olds? Well, back then we were nine-turning-ten.

Ever since it was created, it just sort of became our thing, I guess. None of our other friends ever tried to do it with us or anyone else. Well, then again, we just never bothered to try to teach them. _That _would take too long, anyways. After a minute or so, we finally finished our handshake. Yes, it is _that _long and complicated. Percy let out a little laugh, and I couldn't help but do so, also.

"We haven't done _that_ in a long time." Percy said, sitting down.

"It's only been what? A few days? A week at most." I noted, following his actions.

Percy shook his head. "That's still too long. Remember how we used to do it almost 24/7?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're over exaggerating. But, yeah. How can I forget? Our parents would always complain when they came to pick us up, since we would take too long. We would always do our handshake once we greet each other, when we say goodbye, and just practically anytime boredom struck."

Percy laughed, and once again, I saw that little dimple. "You're right."

"When am I not?"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Hubris." He half-sang.

I punched his shoulder. "Shut up. You know I'm almost never wrong."

"Almost being the key word."

"You do know that nobody is perfect, right?"

Percy mumbled something under his breath, that I didn't quite make out. He mock-flipped his hair, and said louder this time, "But I'm Nobody."

I laughed at him. "Shut up. Besides, I'm Nobody, too."

"Yes you are."

I didn't know whether I should be offended by that, or if it was a compliment, so I decided to play it safe. "Yes I am." We then drifted off into a comfortable silence...that barely lasted five minutes, thanks to a certain Seaweed Brain.

"Do you want to get some ice cream, now?" He asked.

I sighed. "Sure. Why not?"

Percy got up, and extended his hand towards me, doing a mock-bow while at it. "To the ice cream shop, mi' lady?" He said, in a fake British accent.

I took his hand, and stood up. I curtsied at him. "Why, thank you kind sir." Percy and I both laughed, and then started walking. It only took around ten to fifteen minutes to walk to the nearest Baskin' Robbins, so Percy and I just bathed in the sunlight and listened to the sounds of the environment around us. We didn't talk much throughout the walk here, but that was okay. Sometimes just being in the presence of Percy is satisfying enough. After several minutes, we finally reached Baskin' Robbins.

Percy held the door open for me. "Ladies first." He said, while motioning his arm towards the entrance.

I rolled my eyes. "Seaweed Brain." He just smiled cheekily at me. Gods. The nerve of that child. Nevertheless, I walked through the doorway, somehow already knowing that Percy was right behind me.

"What do you want?" He asked.

I looked at all the flavors. "I don't know. Maybe 'World Class Chocolate?' I never tried that, yet."

Percy smiled at me. "Good choice. I'll have 'Mint Chocolate Chip.' It's blue."

"It's more of a greenish-blue." I pointed out.

"Still blue." Percy insisted.

"Whatever. Let's just order now."

"Whatever you say. Cup?" Percy asked. I wasn't really in the mood for cone, so I agreed. We walked up to the counter, and placed our orders. I was about to take out some money, but Percy stopped me. "I'll pay."

"_Percy_." I warned. I hated it when people paid for me. I liked to be independent. Percy however, had the nerve to just _smile _at me and ignore my warning.

"Think of it as a belated birthday present."

"You already gave me way too much."

Percy handed me my ice cream. "It's still not enough." I didn't know how to answer that, so I didn't, I just took a bite out of my ice-cream. Percy did the same. We found an empty booth near the windows, so we sat there, across from each other.

I sighed in contentment. "This is really good."

Percy raised an eyebrow at me. "Really? Let me try." He took out his spoon, and reached for my cup. I somehow managed to take it out of his reach, and he pouted at me. "Please?"

"Eat your own ice cream." I started to recall this same event happening yesterday, except with birthday cake, instead of ice cream.

He grinned at me. "Okay!" He then started happily munching his own dessert. I rolled my eyes at him. Geez. I happen to be doing that a lot, lately.

We managed five minutes. Five whole minutes of complete, blissful silence, until Percy, being the little ADHD Seaweed Brain he is, decided that it would be a marvelous idea to flick some ice cream at me. In my hair, nonetheless!

I glared at him. "Percy." I growled.

"Yes oh Annabeth dearest?" He tried to look innocent. Key word-tried.

"Why did you flick ice cream at me?"

He cocked his head to the side. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe this will refresh your memory." I dug my hand into my ice cream, reached over the table, and smeared the delicacy all over Percy's face. Shame. That _was_ really good ice cream. While Percy was attempting to clean up the mess on his face, I continued eating the part of my dessert that was not contaminated by my hand. Might as well savour the moment as it lasts.

Percy took some ice cream from his face onto his finger, and licked it. "You're right. This is good."

"Once again. I will repeat this. When am I ever wrong?"

Percy gave me a look, and shook his head. "Your hubris has been acting up lately, Wise Girl."

"Shut up." I smeared another handful of World Class Chocolate on his face. That seemed to do the trick. In return, Percy threw some Mint Chocolate Chip at me. He mostly missed. But some _did_ manage to go into my hair. Gods, what is this? Is my hair some ice cream magnet, or something? So that's what Percy and I did for the next ten minutes. Wasting perfectly good ice cream, by throwing it at each other. Well, that is, until a very stern-looking middle-aged man walked up to our table, and looked at us through narrowed eyes, which effectively stopped our actions. Oh well. I didn't have any more ice cream left, anyways.

* * *

**I hope you liked it. So yeah, in case you haven't read my disclaimer, I do not own that Friendship Oath. **

**Maddie: Sorry. I update every Friday. Unless under certain circumstances, that won't change. **

**CrazyWriter7586: Your reviews aren't weird. It just took me a while to understand what you meant. **

**Kate: I wouldn't call it perfect, but thank you, anyways. **

**DauntlessDemigod: Aww. Thank you! But, there are better FanFictions out there. And you don't have to review every single chapter. But still. Thank you. **

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**Guest: I'm pretty sure that happened, too. **

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**Okay. I think that's everybody. If you aren't here, or if I spelt your username wrong, please tell me!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay guys. I just want to explain something. I'm sorry that not every chapter will be a letter. I still have to add the in-between chapters, talking about their life, and characterizing them, and whatnot. Truthfully, the next letter is in Chapter Seven. I know that that is kind of far away, (two chapters, really), but it just turned out like that. If you want, I'll try to write the letters more often..? But I still have to add filler chapters, since not every one can be a letter. Otherwise, it might seem too choppy. So yeah, I'm sorry if the letters were what you looked forward to. **

**In other news, THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL IS OFFICIALLY OVER! WOO! Sorry. I needed to get that out of my system. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. Nor do I own the _Avengers, Finding Nemo_, or the article I mentioned in this chapter about Nemo. **

* * *

**Chapter Five**

(Annabeth's POV)

"I _cannot_ believe that you got us kicked out of Baskin' Robbins." I glared at Percy, who was casually leaning on his bedroom door-frame, while I dried my hair with a towel. Thanks to our little ice cream fight, my hair was sticky and dirty and disgusting, and I had to take a shower at Percy's. Since my clothes were dirty, due to Percy's awful aim, I borrowed a sweater and some basketball shorts from him. It was the least he could do. The clothes even contained the distinct smell of Percy, which consisted of Sally's blue chocolate-chip cookies and salt water, which was just an added bonus.

Percy looked at me with an incredulous expression, while pointing a finger at himself. "_Me?_"

"Yes you. Who was the one who started the ice cream fight?"

"Well, who was the one who decided to continue it?"

I scoffed. "And let you get away with throwing perfectly good ice cream at my hair?"

"It was supposed to hit your face."

I rolled my eyes. "Like that makes anything better."

"Maybe it would've."

I threw the towel that I was using to dry my hair with, at him. "Whatever. It's your turn to take a shower."

"Good." He said, while catching the towel. "I feel gross."

"You are gross."

He pouted. "You wound me."

"For speaking the truth?"

"See? This," he pointed at me. "This is the reason why I'm insecure."

"So you admit it!"

He looked shocked for a minute, as if realizing what he just said. "Oh shut up." Was his smart retort.

I pushed him towards the bathroom door, which was in his bedroom. "Just go take a shower. You're starting to smell." It was a lie, but he really _did_ need to take a shower.

"Fine. Fine." He grumbled, and then he shut the door. I heard the faint _click _of the door's lock. I sighed, looking around, seeing if there was anything to do. I walked over to his desk, and sat in his swivel chair, spinning around. What else do you expect? Who _doesn't_ spin in a swivel chair when they're bored? I spun around in the chair for a good few minutes, only stopping when I became dizzy and a bit nauseous. _Not_ a good combination.

I stopped the chair, and looked around at Percy's desk. It was pretty neat, probably resulting from it not being used very often. I noticed a slinky sitting on his desk, and I played with it for a while. Geez. I haven't played with one in forever. Every time I would get one, it would always break or get lost. Thanks to my two step-brothers, and sometimes Percy or one of my other friends. A slinky of mine couldn't even last more than a month in my house.

Eventually I got bored of that too, and then looked in Percy's desk drawers. I didn't mean to be nosy, I was just bored and I never knew that there would actually be _things_ in there. One of them held a bunch of loose papers and whatnot from school. Another had a bunch of movies, which are probably the ones we're going to watch tonight. The real question is why they're in his desk drawer? I picked up the movies, with pure intentions of only wanting to just browse through them, when a stack of envelopes underneath caught my eye. While gently setting the movies on the desk, I picked up the envelopes. The first few were finished, I guess, since they had the writing on the front, and was a bit heavy, but the rest were probably incomplete.

"Well isn't someone being sneaky?" I jumped up, startled. Percy had a smug smirk on his face, probably at catching me, red-handed. A towel was around his neck, and water was dripping from his hair. He was also leaning against the door-frame, _again_. Percy was only wearing a towel, and his chest was exposed. I tried not to blush.

I threw the slinky at him. He dodged it. "Well isn't someone being half-naked."

It was his turn to blush now. Serves him right. "At least I have my reasons."

I cut him off. "So do I."

He glowered at me. "Well _someone_ here didn't exactly give me enough time to actually get some clothes."

I shrugged. "Well _someone_ here was being a Seaweed Brain and didn't get his clothes ready beforehand."

He glared at me. "Can you please just get out of my room so I can change?"

I stood up. "_Well_. Since you asked _so _nicely." I walked out of his room. Although, not before giving Percy a good kick in the shins.

"Gods Annabeth." He groaned.

"Oh, stop being such a baby. You and I both know that that didn't hurt. I'm not even wearing my shoes."

"Still." Was the last thing I heard, before he shut the door on me.

"_Well then._" I muttered. Not knowing what else to do, I walked down the hall, to the family room. That was usually where we held our Movie Nights. I made myself comfortable on one of the couches, and pulled a blanket, that I found, on top of me. It was kind of cold in here. Out of pure boredom, I pulled out my phone, and saw that I had six unread texts. One was from my dad, just saying that he got my message, and that I should have fun. The other five, however, were from Silena.

_**11:17 Heey! :) **_

_**11:20 O rite. Ur wit Pwercy **_

I slightly winced at her poor grammar. I mean, _sure_ it's texting, but still. Autocorrect should've helped. Was that particular function disabled on her phone or something?

_**11:42 Its ben nerarly 20 mins. PIK UP UR FRICKIN FONE! **_

_**11:44 I giess ur 2 bizy wit Percy, huh? **_

_**11:45 Hav fun! ;P **_

I raised an eyebrow at her texts. It was around noon right now, so I guess I should reply.

_**Annabeth: What's that supposed to mean? **_

_**Silena: O nuthin**_

_**Silena: Bt seriusly? It tok u neerly an howr 2 repli?!**_

_**Annabeth: Well sorry, I was a bit busy. **_

_**Annabeth: And could you please use proper grammar? It's making my dyslexia even worse. **_

_**Silena: And becuz of dyslevi i speaj lige thia**_

_**Annabeth: Seriously? It's even worse now.**_

She didn't reply. Is it really so hard to just use proper spelling and punctuation? Whatever happened to autocorrect? I mean _sure_ it sometimes makes mistakes, but come on?

"Why are you looking at your phone like that?" Percy's voice jolted me out of my little reverie. I realized that I was just staring impassively at my phone.

"I'm just waiting for Silena to text back. What took you so long, by the way?"

"I had to get dressed, you know."

"Still. You took _way_ too long to be normal."

"I wasn't gone that long."

"15 minutes isn't long?"

"When you put it _that_ way..."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. So what are we going to do now?"

He smiled, while holding up the movies. "Do you want to start our Movie Night early?"

"Depends. How many movies do you have?"

"Er. About six?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

Percy counted the movies. _Wow_. "Statement."

I did some calculations in my mind. "Sure. Why not? By the time we're done the movies, it'll be late night." I got up to start heading towards the kitchen to get some snacks, already missing the warmth of the blanket. Percy followed me. "What do you want?" I asked.

"Well, popcorn, obviously." Percy replied.

I rolled my eyes. "No _really_. Besides that?"

"Well, Mom is going to be home late tonight. Like, _really_ late. Probably two in the morning late, or would that be early?" Percy contemplated. I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, so there would be no dinner, or lunch for that manner. Pizza?"

"Pizza." I confirmed.

"I'll call. Do you want a large with half-olives, half-pepperoni?"

"Sure. But if I can't finish, then you're eating my share."

"As long as you remove the olives, I'm good."

"Do you want anything else besides popcorn and pizza?"

"Why don't you decide, Annabeth?"

"Well, considering the fact that you're practically eating most of the food we get..."

Percy rolled his eyes. "That's because you get full way too easily. You need to eat more."

"I eat _plenty_. What with having you as a friend, and not to mention Sally-"

Percy cut me off. "That's because you're too thin."

"I'm average. Now you, however..."

"What about me?"

I poked his stomach. "You are too scrawny." Sure it was probably a lie, but still.

"Am not!"

"Sometimes I wonder where all your food goes, once you eat it."

"Maybe to my stomach? Like a regular person!"

I sighed dramatically. "Percy. I thought we already established this. You're not normal."

"I'm perfectly normal!"

"Percy." I said sternly. "Remember that little incident a while back?" Percy's face immediately paled. He was probably remembering that time when he ate a teensy bit of rum cake, and then believed that he was secretly a bird and thought he could fly. That did _not_ go well.

"You promised that you'd never mention that incident again!" Percy protested.

I laughed. "Sorry." I managed in between breaths.

He glared at me. "I was seven, okay?"

"Still. Rum cake probably doesn't even have any actual alcohol in it. Even if it does, then it would be very little."

"Whatever. Can we just forget it."

"I can never forget it. I even think the Stoll's have it on camera."

His eyes widened. "They didn't."

"They did."

"I'm going to kill those brothers." He growled. "Why didn't I kill them?"

"Well. Right after your fail attempt at flying, you blacked out, and then we had to bring you to a hospital."

He blushed. "How could I forget?"

"I don't know. But I'll always be here to remind you."

Percy's face paled, again. "Oh really. I appreciate the effort, but you don't have to."

"It's okay Percy. I want to."

"No really. You. Don't. Have. To." He said each word slowly and sternly. Geez. What am I? Five?

"Once again. I. Want. To." I spoke in the same manner as he.

Percy sighed. "Nothing I can say can change your mind, can it?"

It was a rhetorical question, but I answered anyways. "No it can't."

"I thought so. I'll just call the pizza place, now."

"Yeah. I'll make the popcorn." He walked away, and I put the popcorn bag in the microwave. Once the microwave chimed, signalling the ready popcorn, I put it in a bowl. I tried some, just to test it out, and nearly sighed in delight. It was really buttery, but not over the top. Just the way Percy and I like it.

Percy walked into the room. "Already eating some without me, Wise Girl? Gods, this is a conspiracy."

I looked at him. "Shut up."

He took a handful of popcorn and shoved it all in his mouth. My nose scrunched up a bit. How does he eat all that in one bite? "Mmm. This is good."

I nodded. "I know right?" He went for another handful, but I smacked his hand away. "We need to save it for our Movie Night."

He pouted. "Meany."

I rolled my eyes, and brought the popcorn to the family room. "Well, the sooner we start the movies, the sooner you get to eat the popcorn."

I can practically feel his now grinning face as he said, "Okay!"

I placed the bowl on the coffee table, and then sat down on the couch, while pulling the blanket over me.

"Which movie?" Percy asked.

"Doesn't matter." I muttered.

He grinned at me. "_Finding Nemo_ it is then." _Figures._ He popped the movie in, just as the doorbell rang. Wow. That was fast. I heard Percy thank the pizza man, and then the door slammed shut. Percy plopped down on the sofa, next to me, and took a slice of pizza out of the box. I could smell the delicacy from here.

"Shouldn't you get a plate or something?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Oh well." I guess he was either too engrossed in the movie, or lazy. Probably both. I sighed, while getting up. "Where are you going?"

"To get us a plate."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want Sally to kill us in our sleep, for bringing rats into the apartment, who were attracted to _your_ crumbs."

Percy took a bite out of his pizza. "Suit yourself." I got two plates, and made my way over back to Percy. "She wouldn't, you know." He said, once I sat down.

"Who wouldn't, what?"

"Sa-Mom. She wouldn't kill us. Yell at us, maybe, but not kill us. She's too nice and she loves us too much.

I noticed how he said we, instead of me. "Well I don't want to push our luck."

Percy shrugged, and took another bite out of his food. At least he was now using the plate. I took a slice, myself, and sighed. It was still warm, and the cheese was still gooey. _Perfect. _Eventually, only a couple slices of pizza were left, about half of the popcorn, and I was completely and utterly stuffed. Percy, however, wasn't, and was still munching on the popcorn. I still wonder where all his food goes. Surely not to his stomach, that's for sure. We got to the part in _Finding Nemo _when Marlin got reunited with Nemo, and I heard Percy sniffle.

I looked at him. "Are you...crying?" Sure enough, his eyes were brimming with tears.

Percy coughed awkwardly. "No. Of course not."

"Percy. I can _see _your tears, you know."

He didn't bother to hold it in, now. "It's just...come on. They finally get reunited, Marlin thinks Nemo is dead, and then Nemo is all like, 'Dad. I don't hate you.' And then there's the scene where Marlin says, 'It's okay, Daddy's here. Daddy's got you.' It's just...ugh."

I smiled at him. At least he doesn't try to act all "manly" and hideaway his emotions. He lets them free, and doesn't care what others think. That's one of the many things I like about him. Not in _that_ sense, of course, but in a total best friend like. "Okay. While you try to gather your emotions, I'll get you some water, okay?"

He nodded, although his eyes were still glued to the screen. "Alright." I walked into the kitchen, and got Percy a cup of cool water, and one for myself, also. When I entered the family room, the credits were already rolling, but Percy still watched it intently.

"Want me to change the movie, now?" I asked, while handing Percy his drink.

He took a sip. "Sure." I looked at the DVDs, and finally decided on The Avengers. I popped the disk in, and sat on the couch, pulling the entire blanket on myself. "Want to share?" Percy asked, while motioning to the blanket.

"Get your own."

Percy pouted. "Hey! I'm in _mourning_ right now. The least you could do is share your blanket."

"I gave you water. Besides, did you know that there was this theory, that Nemo was all just a figment of Marlin's imagination?" At Percy's confused, and yet worried glance, I continued. "Since Nemo, in Latin, means _no one_, the title basically means _Finding No One_. The whole story deals with Marlin dealing with the stages of grief from losing his whole family. So, technically, the journey in which Marlin tries to find Nemo, is really Marlin trying to find himself, and dealing with his loss. The characters Marlin meets along the way, keep telling him to let go. To let go of Nemo and just move on. And then, in the end, when Marlin happily sends off his son to go to school, he's letting him go. He's letting go of his family, and is finally moving on."

Percy opened and closed his mouth a couple times. Geez. If they ever made a _Finding Nemo 2_, Percy would be great for a role as one of the fish. Although, I _did _hear that they are planning on making a sequel called _Finding Dory_. Whenever I heard someone say that title, I always presumed that they were just joking, but now I guess it's an actual thing. "If you think I'm lying, there is an actual article. A couple, actually."

Percy finally gained his bearings. "You mock my pain? I am under _grief_, and this is what you tell me? You're just making this situation worse." I rolled my eyes. "That theory is just so...over thought and very thorough. Whatever happened to the general theme of hope and family and love?"

"People started reading in between the lines, and they let imagination run over."

Percy blinked, and looked away. "_Well_. So...blanket?"

I sighed, overdramatically. "Fine. Come here." Percy shuffled over, and I used the blanket to cover both of our bodies. The downside? The blanket was too small, and Percy was really close. I felt my face get a bit warm, and Percy was a bit red as well. I mean, we should have been used to this, right? We did this many times before, so this time shouldn't be any different, so why is it?

Percy and I spent the next few minutes trying to find a comfortable position. Eventually, we just settled with a one where my head was in the crook of his neck, and I was just, maybe, curled into his side, a little bit, and his arm was around my waist. This wasn't anything new, so I still don't get why my face is probably the color of a strawberry right now. I tried concentrating on the movie, I really did, but considering the fact that I watched this movie so many times, to the point where I could randomly spout out quotes, I sort of lost interest. I guess my ADHD also helped. Okay, and maybe Percy's intoxicating scent of salt water and cookies probably didn't help, also.

"Wise Girl?" Percy asked.

"Mmm." I looked at him. Big mistake. Our faces were just mere inches apart.

He stared at me for a couple more seconds, with this undistinguishable, glazed look in his eyes, but then shook his head. "Never mind."

I turned my head back to the television, with some difficulty. "Okay." Eventually, _The Avengers_ ended, and Percy had to get up to change the disk. I was already missing the warmth of his body next to mine. I shook these thoughts out of my mind. I shouldn't be thinking these type of things about my best friend. Although, the feeling should be _kind_ of normal. It's as if a blanket is ripped off of you, all of a sudden. You miss the warmth. After putting the movie in, Percy went back on the couch. We automatically got back in our previous position. After around four or so movies, with some breaks in between, I just drifted off on Percy's shoulder. As I was dozing off, I felt Percy place a light kiss in my hair. Against my will, I smiled.

After a dreamless nap, I woke up around 11 P.M., with the T.V. off. Percy must have turned it off before he fell asleep. I shifted a bit, trying to stretch without waking up Percy. But since his head was on top of mine, any small movement would've woke him up. It were times like these when I wished that his "sleeping through earthquakes" ability would keep him asleep.

"Hey you." Percy muttered. His hair was even messier than usual, and his voice was huskier, since he just woke up. I think I even spotted a bit of drool at the corner of his mouth. I swear, if he drooled into my hair...

"Hey yourself." I replied.

Percy sat up, and looked around. It was near pitch-black, with our only source of illumination coming from the city lights outside. "Mom's not home yet?"

"I don't think so. Otherwise she would've woke us up." I looked at the time, once again. "It's 11:11, make a wish."

Percy gave me this look, while I concentrated on a wish. _I wish that I'll have a good time in San Francisco...? _I thought over it. Good enough.

I looked at Percy. "What'd you wish for?"

"Now. You see. If I tell you, then it won't come true."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"I'd rather not take my chances." I felt my eyes droop a bit. "Hey. You tired?"

_What does it look like? _"Mmm." I replied, instead. Not having the strength to mutter any words.

"Do you have enough strength to make it back to my room?" I grunted a response, that he hopefully took as a _no_. Now, under any other circumstance, that sentence would've sounded a bit...wrong. But this is Percy, he's as innocent and pure as can be in that particular field. Percy sighed, and I felt him stand up. Suddenly, my body wasn't on the couch, anymore, but in Percy's arms. He was carrying me bridal style into his room. Even in my sleepy state, I didn't want to fall, so I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck. Eventually, my body made contact with Percy's soft bed, and I nearly melted into the sheets.

Percy pulled the blankets over me, and tucked me in, which was a little unnecessary. It would eventually get messed up, anyways. I felt him plant another kiss into my hair. "Night Wise Girl." I blearily opened one eye, and saw Percy walk back out the door. Probably to the couch. I closed my eyes. _Ugh._ Remind me to kill that little Seaweed Brain, tomorrow.

* * *

**I hope you liked it! If you didn't understand the texts Silena sent Annabeth, I'm sorry. So yeah, that thing about Nemo? There's literally an article about it. If you want, just google it, or something. **

**A the Invisible: Thank you!**

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**Flying in Heaven: I know I replied to you, but still. Mortal. I cleared it up in the summary, now. **

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**ThatPurpleOrange: Percabeth! Hip-hip!**

**ThatPurpleOrange (again): Thank you! I'm sorry if the fluff in this chapter and the following might be too much, but they won't actually get together. I just feel that I need to have some fluff for the wait to be less unbearable. **

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**Ellz G: I hope the A/N in the beginning answered your question. I'm sorry, though, for the lack of letters. The next one is in two chapters, if you don't mind waiting. Thank you, though!**

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**Okay. I think that's everyone. Once again, if I forgot anyone, please tell me. **


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't know anything about moving away, so please excuse any mistakes in this chapter and the next. Also, there is an excessive use of the term "stupid" in this chapter. Just telling you. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. **

* * *

**Chapter Six **

(Annabeth's POV)

The remaining two weeks passed by more or less the same. Although, one day in particular really stood out amongst the rest. It was just a few days before I left for California, and my friends and I shared one last moment together at the beach. We had parent supervisors, obviously. Our parents just stood off to the side a little bit, away from hearing range, but close enough to see us. It was amazing how our parents got along just as well as we do.

The sun was setting, and we already had a little bonfire going, thanks to Beckendorf and his dad. Even if it was the middle of summer, it got quite chilly at night. Our little group was just roasting marshmallows, making s'mores, and just chatting aimlessly. The perfect cliché moment at the beach. Eventually, our talking died down, and we fell into a comfortable silence. It was nice, but I felt the need to continue the conversation.

"Hey guys?" They all looked at me. "Did you know that Percy is insecure?" They all looked at me incredulously.

"No." Silena gasped.

"I thought you wouldn't tell!" Percy whined.

I playfully shoved him. "They were going to find out sooner or later."

"I prefer later. Hopefully never." Percy muttered.

"You're insecure?" Grover asked, still not believing it.

"Of course not." Percy laughed nervously. "Why would I be?"

"Annabeth wouldn't lie." Thalia reasoned.

"He's insecure." I told them, playfully using my hand to cover the side of my mouth facing Percy. "He just won't admit it."

"Hey!" Percy protested. "I can _hear_ you, you know."

I looked at him, with all emotion wiped from my face. "I know."

"Perce. Why would you, _you_ of all people, be insecure?" Grover asked.

"I thought that you were just modest." Juniper said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"That's what we all thought." Travis muttered.

Silena suddenly stood up. "You guys know what we must do, right?" We all looked at her blankly.

"No." Connor said. "What?"

She looked at us incredulously. "Give Percy a prep talk of course!"

Choruses of, "Oh!" rang around the circle.

"How do we do that?" Katie asked. Silena just shrugged.

"Well," I said, picking up from where Silena left off. "We can go around the circle stating one, or a few things we admire or like about Percy."

Percy held his face in his hands. "Ugh. Can we not do this?"

"No. We must." Silena said with so much force that Percy couldn't have said no either way.

Connor muttered something under his breath. "Sorry, what was that?" Katie asked.

"I said, in Annabeth's case, love right?" Connor revealed. Snickers rang around the group.

I glared at him, trying to ignore the warmness growing on my cheeks. "Connor?" Fake sweetness was practically dripping from my words.

He looked at me sceptically. "Yeah...?"

"Shut up."

He mockingly saluted at me. "Yes ma'am."

"So..." Katie drawled. "Prep talk?"

"Prep talk." Silena confirmed.

Percy groaned. "I thought you forgot about that."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "We aren't all Kelp Heads' like you."

Silena shot her a look as if saying, _'Not helping.'_ She turned to the group. "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll do it." Grover said.

"Thank you! At least someone is cooperating," Silena muttered under her breath. "We'll start with Grover and then go clockwise. Go!" She made it seem as if it were a game show.

"I admire your bravery." Grover stated.

Percy blushed. "Erm. Thanks?"

Juniper was next. "The way you help the environment?" Once again, it sounded like a question. I'm pretty sure most of them are going to sound like that. "Or how you care about everyone and everything?"

"Your sarcasm." Connor stated proudly.

"I was going to say that." Travis pouted.

Connor stuck his tongue out at him. "Well, too bad."

"Fine. I guess your sense of humour?"

Katie was next. "Well, I would've said your modesty, but we all know what _that_ turned out to be." There were some nods of agreement. "So, your kindness, maybe. Or your selflessness."

When it was Silena's turn, she was just practically bouncing in her spot. "Your adorkableness!"

"Not a word." I muttered.

"What's 'adorkableness?'" Percy asked.

"Adorkable with a -ness." Silena stated, as though it were obvious.

"What's adorkable, then?"

"Adorable plus dork equals adorkable. Duh."

Percy blushed. "Oh."

"Still not a word." I repeated.

"Adorkability?" Silena pondered. "Oh well. You're also very sweet. And chivalrous."

Thalia scoffed. "Percy? Chivalrous? Ha."

"Come on Thalia. As if you never saw Percy do all those things for Annabeth. Like holding the door for her, helping her get up, and whatnot." I'll admit, she had a point.

"Yeah. He's only chivalrous towards Annabeth. Besides, she could've done those things by herself. No woman needs a man to do those stuff for her. We like to be independant and-"

Silena cut her off. "Still. It's adorable. He proves that chivalry isn't dead. Your also cute." Percy's blush deepened. Geez. He's probably going to be the colour of a tomato by the time we're done.

Beckendorf pouted. "What about me?"

Silena giggled, and whispered in his ear. He grinned after that, and gave her a quick peck on the lips. That just made me not want to know what she said to him.

Connor gagged. "Please don't do those stuff around us. It makes us single people uncomfortable."

Silena smiled innocently. "So like 99 percent of you?"

"More like 82 percent." I pointed out.

"What?" Nico asked.

"Well, technically 81.818181-"

Percy cut me off. "Okay Wise Girl. We get it."

I glared at him. I did not appreciate being interrupted. "Whatever."

"Okay. Enough of getting side-tracked. It's Charlie's turn now." Silena announced.

"Err. Your loyalty?"

Silena shook her head at her boyfriend. "Good enough."

"It's not like the others' were any better!" Beckendorf protested.

"Hey!" The "others" complained.

"Still."

"Well not everyone's can be as thorough and long as yours!"

Silena ignored him. "Nico?"

"Your ability to forgive." He muttered. Wow.

"Well that was deep." Connor pointed out. It actually was. Nico just shrugged. I felt as though there were more to the statement, but Nico doesn't seem to be opening up anytime soon.

"Thalia?" Silena's voice directed everyone's attention away from Nico.

"Can I pass?"

"May." I corrected.

"What?"

"_May _I pass. And no, you can't. Everyone has to do it. You are no exception."

Thalia sighed. "_Fine_. Your kelp-headedness."

I gave her a pointed look. "That doesn't help." I can see where Percy gets his insecurity from. Well, I guess it's not like I'm any better.

Thalia gave me a smirk. What was she going to say? It better not be anything that embarrasses either Percy or I. "Alright then. Your ability to make little Annie here happy."

I glared at her. Partly for giving me the nickname I despise the most, and partly for the statement. Although, I can feel my cheeks betraying me, and they just grew red. "Don't call me Annie."

I guess it wasn't as threatening as I hoped, because she just smiled at me. "Whatever you say _Annie_." I resumed glaring at her. "It's your turn."

I broke off from my little staring contest with Thalia to look into the fire. What _did _I like about Percy? I guess the real question is what did I _not_ like? Ooh, that came out wrong. Let me reword it. I meant, what is there about Percy that is unlikeable? Well, there's his impulsiveness, rashness, rudeness to higher up authorities, rebelliousness, and obliviousness. The list can go on and on.

There's also that stupid smirk he always gives when he's right, and _knows_ it. The way that he rubs his neck when he's nervous. How that stupid little strand of hair always gets in his eyes, and I always have to clench my hands to stop from pushing it away, myself. Eventually, he attempts (and fails) to blow it away, then he just stupidly flips his hair.

There's his stupid kindness that causes him to always help someone in need, even if it doesn't help him in any way. His stupid loyalty that makes him stand by anyone who earns it. There's his stupid trustworthiness that makes you want to spill out your deepest and darkest secrets to him, knowing that he'll keep them safe and secure. Even if you just met him, he makes you want to reveal those secrets that you kept locked up in the most hard to reach areas of your heart or brain, with just a simple paper clip.

There's his stupid sense of humour that makes you laugh when you're in the most depressing of moods. He cheers you up when you're down, and brings you up when you fall. There's the way that he can make you feel as if you're the most important person in this world, with just one simple glance. His stupid bravery that could make him jump in front of a train if it meant saving the ones' he loves or even just mildly cares about. The way that he'll stupidly risk his own life, without hesitation, if it meant giving someone else more hours.

There's the way that he just lets out his emotions, and yet keeps them in. The way that he listens to your own problems, but never tells you his. There's the way that he can make you feel safe and secure even if you're in the middle of a war zone. The way that whenever he smiles, you still see that stupid little dimple. There's the way that he still seems innocent when you know that he's seen too much for a thirteen-turning-fourteen-year-old to handle. Just-just practically every part of him is likeable. Even his stupid flaws make him, him, and I...I wouldn't have it any other way.

Percy waved a hand in front of my face, jolting me out of my little reverie. "Wise Girl?"

I looked into his eyes. Those stupid beautiful sea-green eyes that show his every emotion. The way that he reveals them so easily is dangerous and can make him vulnerable, and yet...it somehow makes him stronger. "Yeah?"

His eyes looked at me in concern. Ah, yes. There's also his stupid concern for everybody he meets, even complete strangers. "You okay? You kind of spaced out there." His eyes softened. "It's not because of me, right?"

Somehow, those six simple words got me fueled up with this strange type of rage. Though, I wasn't angry at him. I was angry at the fact that someone as kind as Percy was insecure. Gods. People like him and Sally deserve all the happiness in the world! But knowing them, they'd probably give away the chance to someone else, if it ensures a different person's happiness. Because if someone else is happy, then they're happy.

"Oh my gods Percy!" Percy shrunk back a little at my random outburst, as well as any one of my friends' who were sitting near me. I felt kind of bad, but my anger overpowered any sympathy. "Why are you so insecure?" Percy opened his mouth to explain (probably to deny) but I didn't let him. "Why does someone with such great qualities as you, have to be insecure?" I spotted a faint blush growing on his cheeks, but I didn't give it much thought.

"You heard everyone here." I pointed at Grover. "You're brave. You'd stupidly risk your life for anyone." I pointed towards Juniper. "You are helpful and caring. You stupidly care for everyone and everything." I pointed at each of the respective people. "You're funny. You're stupid sense of humour can put a smile on anybody's face. Your kind. Same as I said for caring. Your sweet. You're stupidly loyal. You can make anyone happy. You are trustworthy and can forgive easily."

"Don't forget cute!" Silena piped in.

"You're cu-wait, what?" My friends laughed. I just shook my head. "I don't get why someone as great as you would be insecure. I mean sure, you're not perfect. Far from it, actually. But, nobody's perfect. We already established this. You may act all confident and obnoxious and whatnot, but we all know it's fake. Either you are just faking it for fun, or you are using it to hide your insecurities, it doesn't matter."

Percy looked at me sadly. "I'm sor-"

I cut him off. "Don't you dare apologize." He shut his mouth. "That's another thing. You always think that everything is your fault. You always think that everything is your problem, and that you need to fix it. Well newsflash, Percy. You can't fix everything. Not everything is repairable. You can't help Global Warming. You can't help poverty. You can't prevent deaths. You can't prevent a war from going on somewhere halfway across the world. You can't help it, so stop beating yourself over it.

"Gods know that you have enough problems as it is, so just focus on that, and then think about others. Sure it might seem like a selfish approach, but how can you help others if you can't help yourself? You're already too selfless as it is. Sometimes you just need to think about yourself first, _then _think about abolishing world hunger." Percy stood up, and wrapped me up in a hug. I never even realized that I was standing until now.

"I'm sorry." He muttered. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Did he just completely ignore my rant about him always apologizing for everything. "I'll try."

"You better." I replied. "Otherwise I'm going to have to hop on the next plane here, and kick your butt."

Percy pulled out of our hug (far too soon), and smiled cheekily at me. Gods, I could still see that stupid dimple. He wiped away a stray tear from my eye. "Okay."

"What's going on here?" I heard Sally ask. I never even noticed that our parents' walked over to us. She reached me in just two long strides. She looked me in the eyes, while gently grabbing my shoulders. "Are you okay? We saw the commotion from all the way over there. Percy didn't do anything, did he?"

"Hey!" Percy protested.

Sally ignored her son. "If he did anything, just tell me okay? I'll punish him greatly. No cookies for a week."

I laughed. Partly at Sally's statement, and partly at Percy's horror-stricken expression. "It's okay, Sally. Percy didn't do anything." _Much,_ I added in my mind.

Sally looked in my eyes for a few more seconds, and then turned to my friends. "So, what were you kids doing?" Usually, I hated it when older people call me a kid, since it makes me feel like a five-year-old, but when Sally says it, it feels like a loving parent talking to their child.

"Oh. You didn't hear?" Travis asked. "Percy's insecure."

Percy gave Travis one of his worse glares possible, which was quite scary. I could tell that he felt a small bit of satisfaction when Travis shrunk back a bit. Sally turned to her son slowly, with an argument probably on the tip of her tongue. It was worse than mine. So that was how we spent the rest of that night. Roasting marshmallows under the stars, while Sally gave her son a huge lecture on insecurities and self-esteem.

* * *

Percy gently shook my shoulder. I guess I dozed off a bit on the car ride to the airport. Sally and Percy were just giving us a ride in my family's van, since it would get transferred to California later on in the week. "Wise Girl? We're here."

"I can see that." I muttered.

Percy smirked at me. "Sweet dreams?"

"Shut up."

Then our mood immediately sobered. "This is it then?"

I sighed, sadly. "Yeah."

"You're actually leaving."

"Yeah."

"No more late-night chats. No more Movie Nights. No more sleepovers. No more cheating on tests. No more tutoring sessions. No more complaining of school and teachers. No more food fights. No more friendly teasing. No more-"

I cut him off. "No need to rub salt in the wound here, Perce." My awful attempt at a joke fell flat.

He sent me a rueful expression. "Sorry."

"It's fine." We fell into silence once more, with only the sounds of our parents' unloading our luggage filling the air. But, I didn't want our last moments together to be wasted by silence. "We should help them."

"Yeah. We should." We both got out of the van, and helped our families'. After a few more minutes, we were already on our way to the inside of the airport.

"Hey Annabeth?" My dad said.

"Yeah?"

"We're still a bit early. The twins, Helen and I are going to get something to eat. Do you want to say your goodbyes now?"

I can tell he wanted to give us some alone time. "Yes please." He turned around to leave. "Dad?" I asked. He faced me. "Thanks." He sent me a small smile in return, and then left. I turned to Percy.

"Mom's in the washroom." He told me. I guess she also wanted to leave us alone.

I wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

"You do know that we can still call, text, and Skype, right?"

He sighed. "I know."

"At least you have friends here. At California, I have no one."

"Don't say that. You still have me. Besides it's not the same."

"What's not?"

"Our friends. Even if I still have them, they're not you."

I shook my head. "And no one in Cali is you. What if I'm the loser nerd again?"

It was his turn now, to shake his head. "Sure you're smart, but you could never be the loser nerd. You're beautiful Annabeth. You're smart, and kind, and loyal." I felt a blush rising on my cheeks. "Any person in California would be fortunate to make your acquaintance. Any guy there would be lucky to have you. _I'm _already blessed to just have you as a friend. Anyone there who doesn't like you is their loss. It's their mistake. And they'll regret it every moment of their miserable little lives, when they see your face everywhere, known as the World's Best Architect."

I was about to respond, but Sally's voice cut me off. "Are you ready to go, Percy?"

He broke out of our hug to look at her. "Five more minutes?" He pleaded.

"Fine. I'll wait in the van." I already said my goodbyes to her, so that was fine.

"So this is really it, then?" My voice cracked. "This is goodbye?"

"Don't say that." Percy said it with so much force, I just had to believe him. "Don't say goodbye. Goodbye's seem too permanent and final. Let's just say, 'Till we meet again' or something."

I laughed, but it wasn't full of joy. Just sadness. "That's too formal. How about, 'See you later?'"

"Better. Handshake?" He asked, probably wanting to prolong our depart, as much as I did.

"Handshake." I confirmed. Even though our handshake was used for goodbyes, it was also used for hellos. This isn't the end, it's just another beginning. Eventually, we finished that too, and just stared at each other in a comfortable silence. His eyes were a dullish green, but were still beautiful. I was saddened in the fact that his eyes were almost pooling with tears. Although, I knew that I wasn't much better.

I wrapped him up in a quick hug. "I'll call or text when I land."

"You better. Remember my letter."

"I'm looking forward to reading it."

"Just-just don't forget m-us, okay?"

I ignored the fact that he was probably going to say me, instead of us. "Even if I try, I can't forget you guys." I looked at my watch. Five minutes probably already passed by. "You should go. Sally's probably waiting."

"I should." We fell into another silence, none of us bothering to move. "See you later, Wise Girl."

"See you later, Seaweed Brain." I broke out of our hug, and Percy gave me a kiss on the forehead. His lips lingered there for a second longer than necessary, before he parted. Even though we didn't say goodbye, it still seemed final. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, before I walked away. I was the first to go. When I looked back, just before entering the doors, I saw that Percy just remained in the same place. I waved sadly, and he waved back. _This is really it, _I thought. I turned towards the doors, and walked through with my head held high, and my shoulders squared. I didn't look back again. _San Francisco, _I thought._ Here I come. _

* * *

**I hope you liked it. **

**Kendra PJO: Yes they do. **

**DauntlessDemigod: Thank you! Sorry that the move was this soon. **

**percabethforever6775: I'll just assume that the website you meant was the one about Nemo. **

**Guest: Don't bang your head on the wall! Think of your brain cells! They're dying right now!**

**CrazyWriter7586: Oh my gods. Hehe. **

**LavenderBooks: Thank you! You're awesome too! (All of you are.)**

**A the Invisible: Thank you!**

**Horse1lover3: Thank you!**

**Scarlet Sapphire Angel 15: Thank you!**

**Ya Wouldn't Understand: Thank you! It doesn't really matter. You could give me ideas whenever you feel like it.**

**fireprincess2020: Yeah, they're mortal. Thank you!**

**hermes child awesomeness: Thank you!**

**Gallifrey Dweller**

**NexRetaliation**

**galaxy pearls**

**going for the win**

** sara. carolina.37**

**Angel-of-the-Seas**

**AvengingPheonix**

**Ballet Bookworm**

**kit catt luvs Percy j**

**percabethlover117**

******I feel like I added some people _again_, so yeah. Hehe. If I forgot any of you, please tell me. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning! Extreme cheesiness in this chapter. Like, it'll make you want to barf out rainbows, from the amount of mush. It's your call. I even considered changing those cheesy parts, but truthfully? I was pretty lazy. I even released my inner ****philosopher** here. So yeah, here's another letter chapter! I'll try to make those more common. Also, I don't know anything about moving away, or going on a plane, so please excuse any mistakes. I actually searched up stuff to try to make it as accurate as possible. 

**Okay, so a shout-out to Calypso Atlas for giving the idea of "_Open This When...You Get to Your New House_." This chapter is actually when she moves to California, so I'll just include it here. If anyone else gave an idea similar to this one, but I didn't find it, just tell me, and I'll add your name here.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. Nicholas Sparks is mentioned here, as well, and I don't mean any disrespect when you get to that part. **

* * *

**Chapter Seven **

(Annabeth's POV)

Before long, I already passed through the checkout, and was now in my seat on the plane. I looked out the window thinking of my past here in New York. All my life was spent here, so moving away, to a different state all the way on the other side of the country, nonetheless, was different. I'm not sure if I mean it in a good way or a bad. This whole move was a sign of change, and...I'm not so good with that. Change, I mean. Everything in my life seemed temporary. Everything is moving and changing, and I'm not sure if I can keep up. I want-no-I _need_ permanent. I need something that I know will never change, and will never leave me. But, change is inevitable, like Percy said. Maybe permanent is impossible.

Although, there were some good things, too, in this move, I guess. I could start over. Rid myself from any burden from the past, and just start anew. But, I won't completely change. I promised myself that. And I won't forget the people who helped me turn into the person I am today. I won't forget my friends, and most of all, I won't forget Percy. He's helped me so much, and has been with me for so long, that remembering him is the least I could do. I cannot imagine a world without him, and if I know that it was my fault that he's gone, I will never forgive myself. The guilt and regret will just eat up my insides, until I have nothing left. Nothing left to live for.

A sudden jerk from the plane jolted me out of my thoughts. Soon, the ground got further and further away from where I was, and after a while, we were already high above where the clouds are. As we were taking off, I took a moment to awe in the beauty that lay before my eyes. The whole city lay out before me, and I could just make out a part of Central Park. This is the last time I get to see New York for a year, so might as well cherish it.

About fifteen minutes or so later, one of the flight attendants made the announcement saying that we could turn on our electrical devices. I took out my phone, plugged in my earphones, and just listened to music for the rest of the flight. Eventually, my eyes started drooping, and I just slept for the time being.

When I awoke, the plane has already started descending. I suddenly came to the realization that my music stopped playing, so I just guessed that one of my family members turned it off for me. The following hour passed by in a blur. I vaguely remembered getting off the plane, finding my suitcase, and renting a van. Pretty soon, we were already out on the road, heading towards our new home. My dad said that it'd take a while, probably around under an hour, so I quickly texted Percy saying that I landed safely, and then I took out his letter from my carry-on, the "_Open This When...You Move in to San Francisco_." So what if I was a little impatient to read his letter? Sue me.

_**Dear Wise Girl,**_

Geez. Were all of his letters going to start like that? Not that I mind my nickname from him, but whatever happened to my actual name?

_**So, you probably already landed in California. Remember to text or call me saying if you landed safely. **_

I already did that.

_**But you, being the Wise Girl you are, probably already did. **_

That's right.

_**Gods know that I was probably worried out of my mind during the entire duration of your flight. I mean, what if something happened to you? What if you, gods forbid, died or got into a coma? What if you got extremely hurt, or woke up with amnesia? What if you forgot me? **_

I thought about that for a while. If that particular situation were to happen to Percy, I would truthfully be worried and scared out of my mind.

_**I cannot imagine a life without you Annabeth. **_

Neither can I. What would the world be like without Percy?

_**I want-no-I **_**need**_** you. **_

I smiled a little sadly at that. I need him too.

_**You're my rock. You're my anchor. You're the one that inspires me to keep on going, to keep on **_**living**_**, when all seems lost. You give me a reason to fight, and without you, I'd be nothing. You're my light at the end of the tunnel, and my beacon in the storm. **_

A few tears started to gather in the corner of my eyes. Good thing that the van was a seven-seater, and I sat at the back, so no one saw me cry.

_**Without you, I'd be lost. I'd be broken beyond repair, and nothing could fix me. My life would lose all meaning, and I'll only be a shell of my former self. All colour would be drained, and I'll only see in black-and white. You're what gives me strength, and without you, I'd be weak. You impacted my life so severely, that...that I don't know what I'd be without you. It'll probably feel as if someone has taken off the ground beneath my feet, and that I'd fall. I'll fall and keep on falling, never reaching rock-bottom. And there would be absolutely be no way for me to get back up and see the light again. Because Annabeth, you are my light.**_

I wanted to cry and smile all at the same time. What he just said was really sweet, I never even knew that Percy could be so poetic and mushy. It would almost have sounded like Percy liked me, as in _like liked_ me, but I knew that he didn't. What he just said was only platonically best-friend like. Right? Oh my gods. If Silena ever found out about what he said, she would be squealing for hours. Thank the gods that all of this is just a secret between us. But still, she would have _killed_ to get a letter like this.

_**And I know that all of this is just so mushy and cheesy and out-of-character like of me, **_

I laughed at that part. It really was.

_**but personally, right now, I don't care. You just need to know how much you mean to me. You are the greatest best friend a guy could ask for. **_

I couldn't help but let my smile droop a little after reading that line. But the reason _why_ I was disappointed would remain a mystery to all.

_**I feel as if I am being selfish keeping you all to myself, but I just couldn't help it. **_

I rolled my eyes a little at that. He could never be selfish. It just isn't in his nature.

_**I need you, and I just couldn't share you. But, you have this sort of beauty that needs to be spread out to the world, and I know that one day I would have to let you go. And that day was today. You need to spread your wings and fly!**_

I laughed a bit, with a dust of a blush on my cheeks.

_**You need to get out of your little cocoon, and turn into the butterfly you are! **_

I rolled my eyes. That little mushy Seaweed Brain.

_**I can't keep you encased, no matter how much I want to. I don't want you to change, for the fear of losing you. I don't want you to learn how to fly, because I don't want you to fly away from me. Also because with flying, means falling, and I don't want you to get hurt. I want you to have the joy of being up in the air, with the clouds, and not with the rocky bottom of the earth. **_

I blinked in surprise. That was just way too poetic and deep. I didn't think he had it in him.

_**I just want you to be happy, Annabeth. Is that too much to ask? But this is a corrupted world, and happiness isn't always guaranteed. But I swear on the Styx, I will try my best to keep you happy, if it is within my power. I would fall off a cliff into a pit of ferocious monsters, if it makes you smile. **_

How in Tartarus would that make me smile?!

_**Even if that would just probably not make you smile at all, maybe more like cry, I'm just trying to express myself here, Annabeth! No need to judge me, and point out all the technicalities!**_

I rolled my eyes.

_**Okay. *clears throat* All mushiness and chick-flick thoughts put aside, there are other things more important to inform you of. But still. I went really deep there. I'm a poet, and I don't even know it. Maybe I could get famous for these words of deep tales of love and loss. **_

My eyes lingered on the word love for a while. He probably just meant that he loved me like a family member. But I still couldn't deny the fact that what he said _was_ really deep and well thought through.

_**Who knows? Maybe my mom could write this down in one of her books and become famous. It's a possibility. Maybe she could be the next Nicholas Sparks with all of my cheesy ideas. (No offense to Nicholas Sparks and any of his fans. I mean no disrespect.)**_

I rolled my eyes again.

_**Someone just give me a dozen red roses and a candlelit dinner at the beach during sunset, because I am on fire with all of my mushy romantic thoughts. **_

Okay, Seaweed Brain. No need to go all cliché on me, now. But that is still sweet. Cheesy. But sweet.

_**Mind you, my mom never read the parts above.**_

I let out a silent breath in my mind.

_**If she did, then all Hades would break loose. The squeals would be just too much for a guy to handle, or anyone, as a matter of fact. I cannot handle my mom as a fangirl. One is enough, two is just too much. We can barely handle Silena! And now we have my mom as one, as well! Who's next? Katie? Juniper? Oh gods. **_

Oh gods, indeed.

_**It's like a disease that spreads amongst everyone. Turning every single creature into a fangirl or fanboy. Gods, the horror!**_

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes he takes things too seriously for his own good.

_**Next thing you know, words like OTP, "the feels," fandom, AU, OOC, and stuff like that would be added into the dictionary. Who knows, maybe it already is! And then people would forget that "ships" are also boats, and that "slash" is just that key on your keyboard. Gods. I'm already ashamed that I know this stuff!**_

And I'm ashamed that I knew what every word you wrote, meant.

_**I blame Silena.**_

Me too.

_**Annabeth. I just came up with this horrible realisation. What if somewhere, somehow, in an AU (Oh gods. I'm already using these terminology in everyday life. I need help.) FanFictions actually come to life.**_

That actually_ is_ a horrible idea.

_**I mean, I already have their anthem thought out. Want to hear it?**_

I really don't.

_**Well, too bad! Without further ado, everyone please rise for the FanFiction-life national anthem. *clears throat***_

Hmm. I wonder if I could just skip ahead. But, I couldn't. I already read some of it, so might as well read it all.

**"It's a FanFiction land!**

**All glorious and grand!**

**Where what you write, comes to life.**

**And..."**

_**I really don't know what to say.**_

I blinked. Well, that was just horrible. I seriously regret reading that.

_**What can rhyme with life? Knife? **_

**And all your troubles are cut with a knife?**

_**Nah. That's just weird. **_

I rolled my eyes. Like that entire section wasn't weird at all.

_**And it doesn't go with the flow. Wife?**_

**Where your OTP becomes groom and wife?**

_**I feel as if that's just worse. Besides, what if your OTP is a slash pairing? You know what? I'll just give up now. **_

Thank the gods.

_**Leave the FanFiction anthem to the fan girls and boys of FanFiction land. Oh gods, this is way too much discussion of FanFiction for my particular liking. **_

Mine too. Gods know we already have way too much discussion of that with Silena and sometimes your mom.

_**Okay happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Cookies. The beach. S'mores. Campfires. Our friends. My mom. More cookies. **_

I rolled my eyes.

_**You. **_

_Aww. _Well, that was sweet. I guess there's more to just seaweed in that brain of yours.

_**Okay then. I guess all of my cheesiness didn't go away completely. Oh well. I probably ran out of any other romantic thing I could say. Lucky enough for you. **_

Lucky me.

_**I am seriously considering throwing away this letter and starting another one, because on a scale of one to ten considering the amount of cheesiness and weirdness, it's an eleven.**_

More like a hundred, but eleven works.

_**But, if your still reading this by now, I probably didn't crumple it to oblivion. I'm too lazy to write another one, anyways. **_

I laughed a little at that. Wrong move, because it attracted the attention of my step-brothers.

"What cha' readin' there, Annie?" I think Bobby asked. I wanted to glare at him since he called me Annie, but I was a little mentally exhausted.

I folded the letter, hoping that they didn't see what was written there. "Nothing." I inwardly cursed at how my voice cracked.

"Are you okay?" Matthew scrunched up his eyebrows, showing his concern.

"I'm fine."

Bobby wouldn't budge. "Were you crying?"

It was then that I realized that my eyes _were_ a little watery. "Of course not. I just probably got teary-eyed from yawning a little while back." They still looked skeptical, but nevertheless sat back down in their seats. I let out a silent breath. After a few minutes of waiting to make sure that they wouldn't turn back around, again, and question me further, I uncovered the envelope, once more.

_***coughs awkwardly* Moving on! **_

I smiled, making sure that I wouldn't make the mistake of laughing, again.

_**Once you get settled and comfortable at your new house, I expect full details, missy! **_

I rolled my eyes.

_**Like how the weather is. How the people are. If the beaches are good. Stuff like that. **_

Of _course _he would care about the beaches.

_**Make sure to call or Skype as soon as you can. Even if it was two o'clock in the morning, where I am, I don't care. Just as long as I could talk to you, I would risk that beautiful necessity known as sleep. See the sacrifices I make for you? You better be thankful. **_

I am, but you need your sleep. You don't need to sacrifice anything for me, gods know you already did.

_**I have to know if you're safe and secure over there. If anyone is mean to you, I would personally hijack a plane over there, and send them to Tartarus and back, and then back to Tartarus. **_

That's a little too much, but I appreciate the sentiment. Gods know I'd do the same for you.

_**No one, and I repeat, **_**no one**_**, messes with my Wise Girl. **_

I smiled. _Your _Wise Girl.

_**If you don't beat them up, then I will. Then all of our friends will. And then my mom would give them a lecture, and that might just be the worst one out of them all. I'd rather go through physical pain, than see my mom's disapproving face. **_

I'm pretty sure everyone's with you there.

_**I hate seeing my mom disappointed. **_

Everyone does.

_**She deserves the best, and all of the happiness in the world. **_

You both do.

_**I don't deserve her. **_

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. If you don't deserve her, then who does?

_**No one does. Like how no one is deserving of you. **_

No one deserves me? Umm, I think no one deserving _you, _would be a better example.

_**I'm grateful to have you both by my side. Sometimes I fear that I'd wake up into this horrible reality where you two don't exist. **_

_Aww._ But, I think that it would be even worse without you here in this world.

_**A world where I don't have an amazing mom, and no awesome best friend, because sometimes, I think that that is more realistic. My life now, just seems too good to be true. I'm still waiting for that one huge tragedy that ensures that my life now is reality, because it seems too...peaceful.**_

You shouldn't have to wait for that day. Maybe that day would never come. And your life isn't too good. You have your own troubles and hardships, and your life is far from perfect.

_**Sometimes I feel a bit too selfish. There are people starving with no families and no shelter, and here I am, with all the necessities I need, complaining and whining about all the little stuff. **_

Like I said before, you are not selfish. I feel like that too, but just think that there are worse people out there.

_**Wow. I really got off topic. **_

Yes. You did.

_**I blame my ADHD.**_

I don't think that it's _just_ your ADHD, Percy.

_**Oh well. It's not like I didn't express what needed to be said, already. So, I guess I should kind of warn you, my letters are going to get **_**really**_** off topic, and some are probably not going to related to the topic, at all. **_

Somehow, I don't expect more from you.

_**I swear, it doesn't get planned out like that, it just...happens. **_

Things happen. Sometimes we have no control over it.

_**So yeah, I apologize in advance. Don't get your hopes up that the stuff inside these letters are bestseller material. I'd be grateful if you could just understand them!**_

Not to sound rude, but my hopes weren't that high, anyways.

_**They might be romance novel material, but not Nicholas Sparks worthy. **_

I rolled my eyes, but nonetheless, smiled.

_**Just forewarning you. Now's your chance to back out. One month warranty guaranteed. You better take your chance before you lose it. **_

For some reason, I felt like that harmless sentence held more meaning than what was supposed to be intended.

_**So, I'll just end this letter with one request. Well, technically two. Just don't forget us, Annabeth. Don't forget me. **_

I won't, I promise.

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Your Seaweed Brain. **_

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Hopefully, the cheesiness didn't draw you away. Not all chapters are going to be this cheesy, I swear. I never even planned it. Also, I made that little FanFiction anthem...now you know how horrible my poetry is. Apollo would be so proud. **

**hermes child awesomeness: Sorry for making you die. Hopefully you brought some drachmas with you. ;)**

**Guest: Sorry for making you sad. Don't worry. I just can't with the new book coming out, either. (There's like 18 more days!)**

**DauntlessDemigod: Sorry. Don't worry, the goodbye _was_ a little feel-ly.**

**LavenderBooks: I know she does. Don't worry, later on. Maybe. *laughs maniacally* Rick is rubbing off on me.**

**bluebeautiful: Thank you!**

**Guest: Hehe. Sorry. **

**TurquoiseCrystal: I already answered you, but still. I hope you liked the letter!**

**Guest13: Thank you!**

**Anaklumos121: Thank you!**

**A the Invisible: Thank you! Sorry for making you cry, and have your family stare at you. I'm pretty sure a lot of us can relate.**

** secret. writer: Hehe. **

**Down2earth360: Sorry for killing you. Thank you, though. **

**UnexpectedChair: Hehe. Sorry.**

**SilverHuntresses****: Sorry. **

**Aboxfullofbeads**

**SamXDanny**

**bookworm-books**

**emilianolorenzo1**

**maroulitsa**

**tcp4610**

**IAmTheDaughterOfHades**

** Mrs. LeoValdez15**

**Wisegirl2505**

**breezybee223**

**carlysibuna**

**ohmygodsYES**

**It's only now that I came to the realization that I broke a lot of hearts, and killed so many people (in the non-literal sense, of course). So yeah, if I forgot anyone, please tell me. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay! I reached my goal at getting at least 100 follows! (A pretty sad goal, but a goal, nevertheless.) I am really horrible at describing things like houses and neighborhoods, so please bear with me. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. **

* * *

**Chapter Eight **

(Annabeth's POV)

"We're almost there." My dad said, causing me to raise my eyes from reading Percy's letter for the nth time. The cheesiness of it all still makes me smile even if I read if a million times.

Even though I saw my house before, when my family and I visited San Francisco a few weeks ago, to oversee the move, the beauty of the neighborhood still gets to me. The architecture of the houses are just amazing. The way that some have the front porch either curved into an arch, or are being supported by columns. How most houses have beautiful gardens out front and some even had miniature fountains there too. There were some houses with gates and pretty long driveways, and some that just looked simple and yet elegant. They all looked similar, and yet so different at the same time. It just shows how different designs can come together and still create something magnificent. They can have a little or many differences, and yet still work well. Whoever designed this neighborhood and their houses are just geniuses. Someday, I hope that someone would say the same about my work, if I ever become an architect.

After a couple of minutes, we finally pulled up into our house's driveway. I can still not believe that we are going to live in _that_. My dad's company paid for it, so they must've been rich. It was beautiful and yet simple. Less grand than some of the others on the neighborhood, but still more extravagant than what we used to live in. It was a greyish-white colour, and had a three-car garage. There was already a little garden out front, with a little fountain, too. I knew, without a doubt, that Percy would've loved it. There were some steps leading up to the front porch, which was supported by columns. There was even a little garden swing chair there, too, just like what we had back home.

My family got out of the van, and I followed suit. After getting out our suitcases, us hauling our own respective ones, we finally walked up to the front door. Even the freaking _door _was amazing! It had this old type of feel to it, with glass panels that had intricate designs on it, on either side of the door. The door was also white, matching the garage.

My dad paused at the entrance of the house, key already in the slot. "Are you ready?" He asked, in a fake deep voice.

My step-brothers were practically bouncing in their spot. I wonder how long it would take for them to mess this house up. "Yeah!"

"Whatever you say." My dad opened the door, and the twins literally sprinted into the house. I, however, froze in the entrance after my parents went in. However beautiful the house was on the outside, it was equally beautiful on the inside. There was a spiral staircase in the middle of the "lobby," and across from me lay a hall that led into the kitchen, to my right was the dining room, and to my left was the family room. Everything inside the house was so clean and polished, and still freaking _white_. It would become an eye-sore eventually.

I shut the door behind me, and locked it. Gods know how much it irks me when the people in horror movies never lock the door, and scream bloody murder when the bad guy casually walks through it. I mean _sure_, the antagonist might have been able to pick locks, but still. Might as well just give them a challenge.

I sighed, while picking up my luggage, and making my way over to the staircase. An elevator would've been really helpful in a situation like this. Lucky for me, we already claimed our rooms when we first visited, so I didn't have to be stuck with the unfinished and pretty sketchy basement, when I took my time. Once I reached the second level, the staircase made a sort of empty circle in the middle, making this floor kind of resemble a donut. There were six doors, and I made my way around the hall, over to the first door on the right side. The twins took the third, parents the fifth, the second was a bathroom, and the third was a kind of office for my dad.

I opened the door to my room, and smiled. While ignoring all of the boxes that needed to be unpacked, I made my way over to the balcony. I pushed open the doors, and a gush of wind blew my hair. I looked out over the railing, and the view amazed me. I had the side that faced the backyard, and I could just make out a strip of white and blue, which must've been the beach. To my left, I could see some forest, and to my right was the city. It feels as if I'm right in the middle of three different worlds, that are so close, and yet so far apart. Having this view and the balcony is so worth having a smaller bedroom.

Even if it was only around 3:30 PM right now, I was already exhausted. It should've been around 6:30 back in New York. We took the flight which was non-stop, and sleeping on a plane was not comfortable. I decided that a little nap never hurt anybody, so that was what I did. When I awoke, to my family screaming my name because it was dinnertime, it was only around five something. My family usually eats around seven, so it must've been the time difference, I presumed.

After an uneventful dinner, filled with awkward small-talk, I made my way back to my room. I decided to only unpack the necessities for now, and the rest tomorrow. Even after a beautiful nap, I was still tired. Although, I knew that even if I decided to go to bed, sleep wouldn't come to me. That's one of my many issues with taking a nap in the middle of the day. After around half an hour of packing the requirements I need to last the day, I looked around the room seeing if there was anything to do. Once my eyes landed on my phone that lay near the laptop from Thalia, I nearly face-palmed. How could I forget _that?_

I took my phone into my hands, and typed up a quick text to Percy.

_**Annabeth: Hey!**_

Sure it was pretty simple, but it was enough to ensure him my safety. He replied back to me, not even a few seconds later.

_**Percy: FINALY! Gods, wize gurl. I ws wirrued a bit ther**_

I winced at his grammar. Gods. Is it really so hard for autocorrect to fix their words?

_**Annabeth: Ugh, Percy. Please. What happened to your autocorrect?**_

_**Percy: Fine. Ur no fun. **_

Good. It was slightly better now.

_**Annabeth: Well sorry my dyslexia started acting up. Besides, how am I even supposed to decipher what you are saying with grammar skills like that?**_

_**Percy: U tell me. Ur the wise girl. **_

I rolled my eyes.

_**Annabeth: Your seaweed brain tendencies are beyond my level of understanding. **_

_**Percy: Hey!**_

_**Annabeth: Do you want to Skype?**_

Okay, _sure_ it was a bad subject change, but I really had no other choice.

_**Percy: *crosses arms* Fine.**_

I rolled my eyes, but nevertheless powered up my laptop. After a few minutes, which felt like forever (did I mention the sucky ADHD?), Percy's face was already on my computer screen.

"I still didn't forgive you." He greeted.

"Hey, yourself." I replied cheerfully, just to bug him.

He scowled, but I could see that he was fighting a smile. "I don't like you."

"Pssh. You love me." The words slipped out, before I could process what I was saying.

He blushed a bit at the comment, and I was no better myself. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I was silently thankful at the fact that he didn't point out the slip-up. "So..." I drawled. "What's up."

"Oh nothing. Just moping around because my best-friend of nine years moved away to the other side of the country. Oh, and that I had pizza for dinner."

I rolled my eyes, but still thought that what he said was kind of sweet. "Quit whining. It's hasn't even been a whole day."

He pouted at me. "You shouldn't tell someone who is wallowing in their sorrows to stop. Just let them be, Annabeth!"

"...That is horrible advice."

"I know. But it needed to be said." We fell into a comfortable silence after that, but he broke it after not even a minute. "I miss you."

"We've been away from each other for longer, Percy." Although, I was mockingly cooing at that, in my mind.

"I know we have, but still."

I smiled a bit at his horrible explanation. "Yeah, whatever. I miss you too."

He beamed at me. "Ha!"

I rolled my eyes, but suddenly thought of this idea that would surely pass the time. "Hey, Percy? Would you like a tour of my new house?"

His face lit up. "Sure."

I got out of the chair, and turned the computer around in my arms, so that the camera faced away from me. "So here's my room." I wanted to wave my hand around, but for fear of dropping the laptop, I didn't. "It's not that impressive, but I didn't unpack yet." I heard him make a sort of disapproval sound, and then mutter something about procrastination and laziness. "You're one to talk. Mr. Doesn't Do Homework Until After the Due Date. Yeah, that's right. I heard you."

"That was one time!" He protested.

"Cough, five times, cough."

"You kept track?!" I laughed at his incredulous tone.

"Now, I would love to take credit for that, but sadly, honesty is very important to me." I heard Percy snort a little bit, which I ignored. "No. I did not keep track. I'm just guessing."

He made a sort of humming sound. "I wouldn't be surprised if you did keep track, though. You are a Wise Girl, no?"

"I am." Thankfully, the camera was still facing the room, and away from me, so he failed to see the smile that resulted from his words. I opened the door that led out of my room. "And here's the hallway..."

The rest of the mini-tour continued like that. Me showing the house to Percy, who added his own completely unnecessary two cents every once in a while. (Read, pretty much after every sentence.) I showed him everywhere, ranging from the kitchen to even the _bathroom_. After a while, it was time to show him the sketchy basement.

"You ready?" I asked.

"It can't be _that_ bad." Oh how wrong he was.

"You see for yourself." I opened the door, and flicked on the light switch. Immediately, an eerie yellow glow led down the stairs. As I made my way down, the lights flickered and the stairs creaked. I heard Percy mutter something about clichés, and I couldn't agree with him more. Once I reached the end, I turned on more lights. There wasn't much to see, except for bare unevenly grey walls, and concrete floors with some cracks. In front of me was a door which led to the cold room, and there were some wooden columns here and there. Dust was accumulated everywhere, and I mean _everywhere_. You couldn't move without sending a pile of dust in the air. There were even some light imprints on the floor, from when the last person visited. In the corner was an old bookcase, and a wooden picnic-like table stood near it. The room wasn't really that scary, but it was more just the feeling. As if the whole room was holding its breath, and just waiting to release something at you.

"Okay." Percy's voice startled me a little bit. Thankfully, I didn't drop the laptop. "This is kind of creepy."

"At least you're not actually here. I can't believe that a beautiful house like this, has the sketchiest basement I have ever seen."

"Me neither." A silent pause. "So how about that attic?"

I practically ran out of there as fast as I could without dropping the computer, and not falling down the stairs. Once I made it back to the lobby, I nearly sighed in relief. I really regret going down there. Never going to make that mistake, again.

"I thought we agreed to never venture off into the basement." I turned around and saw my dad there, looking at me.

"Sorry. I was just showing Percy around."

He looked confused, and I just motioned to the device in my hands. His mouth made an "O" shape.

"Hi, Mr. Chase." Percy greeted. I could practically imagine him waving his hand.

"Hello Percy. And please, call me Frederick." My dad readjusted his glasses. "Well, I've got work to do. Bye, Percy."

"Bye, Frederick." My dad then turned around without another word.

"Wow." I muttered. "A hello and a goodbye, both not even a minute apart. That's got to be some sort of record."

"I'll be sure to mark down this day on my calendar. We'll celebrate it every year, in memory of my great accomplishment."

I snorted. "Percy, I don't think you even have a calendar."

"Then I'll be sure to get one. Just to remember this day, forever."

I laughed as I made my way to the attic. There was this little door beside my room, which was the sixth door. Behind it was this staircase which led to the attic. In contrary to the basement, the attic is actually really nice, with windows and even a skylight. It's even big enough to serve as a room, if anyone wanted one. Maybe we could turn it into a guest room, or something.

"This is nice," Percy commented.

"Yeah, it is," I walked over to this spot on the floor, and just laid down. Right above me was the skylight, and I just watched the clouds roll by. "Look, there's even a skylight."

"Well, Wise Girl. In case you haven't noticed, I am in a computer screen, and therefore cannot _see_ the skylight."

"Oh. Right," I lifted up the computer, so that the webcam faced upwards, towards the skylight.

"It is pretty," Percy admitted after a couple minutes. I turned the computer, so that I was now facing him.

"Percy," I said all seriously. "We need to discuss something."

He gulped nervously. I don't really blame him. Those five words could make anyone worried. "What about?" I felt a little bad at the way his voice cracked.

"Your letter," His eyes started to widen a little bit. "It's extremely cheesy."

I saw him sigh, probably in relief. "Well, _sorry_. I didn't really plan on that happening. The words just flowed out from my hand, onto the paper."

"Wow, Percy. Just wow."

"I knew I should've written another one," he muttered.

I laughed. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"I didn't know I had it in me, either. I guess you learn something new every day."

"Yeah we do. Like today I learned that you are extremely mushy."

"I'm not that bad."

I snorted. "Sure, sure. Yeah no. You are actually the cheesiness person I know."

"No I'm not!" He protested.

"Uh yeah. You are." I was suddenly hit with a horrible realization. "Oh my gods. I pity the poor girl, unfortunate enough to be your girlfriend."

Percy's cheeks reddened a bit. "Hey! I don't think that I would be _that_ bad of a boyfriend"

"Sure you won't. You'd probably give her like a dozen roses every day, cliché walks on the beach at sunset, kisses on the cheek every morning, send her cute little texts, always tell her you love her-"

Percy cut me off. "No I won't! Well, maybe..."

"My point exactly. You'd be the cheesiest boyfriend ever."

"It's not my fault that if I ever get a girlfriend, I'd want to give her the absolute best, and treat her properly. I mean, if I'm dating her, then I probably care about her a lot. I won't want to let her out of my grasp." I noticed how he used the word "if," but never commented on it.

"Aww, Percy," I teasingly cooed. "See? That's exactly why you would be the mushiest boyfriend ever."

His cheeks got a little more red. "Shut up! No I won't."

"Where's Sally? She has to hear of this."

Percy's eyes widened. "Uh, no. She doesn't."

"Yeah. She does. Besides, did you know that how a guy treats his mom, is a way of showing how he will treat other girls? More particularly, his future girlfriends."

Percy's face looked blank. "Uh..."

"You know, that actually explains so much."

"No it doesn't! Can we please stop talking about my love life? It's rather disturbing."

"For you. It's mildly entertaining for me."

"Besides, I'm too young for a relationship, I have to wait for-"

I cut him off. "I swear Percy, if you say 'The One,' then I am officially going to make an award, with the title, 'Cheesiest Person Ever,' and give it to you. I might even have to question this friendship, and your masculinity."

He blushed. "Shut up. Just, shut up. Besides, guys can be cheesy-"

"Percy." I said seriously. "I think that you're on a whole new different level of cheesy. Like, if there was ever a planet for types of cheeses, you won't be there, because you're a new, odd specimen that needs analyzing."

He smiled. "I guess I'm rubbing off on you, huh?"

It was my turn now to say, "Shut up. And stop trying to change the subject."

"Oh look at the time." Percy randomly exclaimed. "It's getting quite late." I looked at the time. It should've been around eleven back in New York. I guess his excuse _can_ be sort of valid. "I better head off to bed. I'll talk to you later, Annabeth."

"Don't think for a minute that this discussion is over, Percy." I said sternly.

He smiled at me. A real, genuine smile. "I don't expect anything less."

I continued staring at the screen, long after he disconnected the call. Well, that was unexpected.

"I figured you'd be here." I turned to the speaker who happened to be my dad. I was a little disappointed, expecting to see Percy. But that was stupid. He's back in New York, and I'm in California. Sometimes hope is a destructive force, I guess.

"How?"

He ignored my question. "You should probably head to bed. It was a long day."

"Okay. Maybe in a couple minutes." I couldn't deny the fact that I _was_ tired, even if I took a nap. He nodded, and then left the room. I sighed, while shutting down the laptop. Getting ready for bed passed in a blur. Brushing my teeth, changing into pajamas, texting Percy a goodnight, and finally, getting into bed. And that concluded my first official day in San Francisco.

* * *

**Yes. I just had to add that cliché, sketchy basement. I hope you liked it! (The chapter, not the basement.) The ending was a bit meh, but I had no other choice. And, don't worry Percy! You're literally like the best boyfriend, and boy friend, ever! **

**Writer432: I guess you can't be on the list of casualties. **

**Guest: Heh heh. Sorry. **

**pennywise123: Hello there, evil clown! Glad to make your acquaintance. Thanks for calling me evil (though indirectly). And thanks for your kind(...?)** **words.**

**LavenderBooks: No no. Not 20 years. That's too long. **

**Ckc4: I don't really know (yet). Probably pretty long, but I'm not sure. I still have to do their whole high school life, and a bit of their university/adult life. I'm not purposely trying to drag on the story, it's just like that.**

**UnexpectedChair: Thanks!**

**Turquoise Crystal: His insecurity did show, I guess. I never really intended it to happen, but oh well. You're just looking in deeper. (And that's pretty much a good thing, if you're still in school.) **

**secret. writer: Don't worry. I think most fangirls/fanboys are mentally unstable. (No offense to anyone who might take offense.) You are not alone. **

**A the Invisible: Thank you!**

**GreekGeek1140804: Thank you!**

**Forged In Fire and Flame: Yeah, the last chapter was pretty (really) cheesy. I should be honoured for making you barf out rainbows. **

**Down2earth360: Thank you! And no problem. **

**DauntlessDemigod: Sorry for making you cry. Thank you! And now only 11-ish days until BoO! *SQUEALS!***

**Ya Wouldn't Understand (Here you are!) **

**acciooh**

**ashep1187**

**Destruction's Daughter**

**Fakeslimshady37**

**inv2**

**lialuvs2read**

**metheperson**

**MistyWolfTheBroken**

**StrongEnough6**

**thebiggestbookworm**

**thelaststop**

**WinRar**

**Writer 432**

**LeslieeeCx**

**Love-Galaxy**

**SonofApollo42**

**venomking6x2**

**I think that's everyone. If I forgot anyone, or misspelt anyone's name, please tell me. I'll just correct it, or write it again, in the next chapter. Also, if I accidentally wrote someone's name again, that's just what it is. An accident. **


	9. Chapter 9

**I actually had a severe writer's block for this chapter, so please excuse the randomness. I even included talk about _My Little Pony_, for gods sake. I never really watched that series, so all the information I got was from their wikia. I freaking went on their website! You know how weird that was? **

**In other news, BLOOD OF OLYMPUS COMES OUT IN FOUR DAYS! EEEEPPPPP! Well, it's sad because I'm getting my book on the day after it's released. I hope a signed copy is worth it. (I'm pretty sure it's always worth it.) But that's risking one whole day of not knowing what happens to my babies. MY BABIES! Also, just in case you know spoilers, PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME! I'm already skeptical about reading any reviews you give me, for fear of them. But, I'll just trust you guys on this, okay? Don't take advantage of it.**

**So, this chapter goes out to zoenightshadedamsnckbar and DauntlessDemigod for requesting the OTW (Open This When) letter for the first day of school. I just changed the topic to "when you're going to start school," but they're similar anyways. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. Nor do I own _My Little Pony_. I don't really want to, anyways, (no offense). I also do not own that quote mentioned somewhere in the middle of the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

(Annabeth's POV)

The next couple of weeks passed by in a blur, and everyday fell into a similar routine. Wake up, eat, unpack, explore the neighborhood, chat with Percy, or any of my other friends, eat again, go to sleep, and basically repeat. The only day that was probably the most different of them all was Percy's birthday.

_**Annabeth: Happy Birthday, Seaweed Brain!**_

I texted him at exactly midnight, where he was. It was only, technically, nine o'clock in San Francisco. He responded not even a minute later.

_**Percy: Gee. Thnx wise gurl. **_

Once again, his grammar wasn't the best, but it was manageable.

_**Annabeth: You're welcome! Now go to sleep. You have a big day ahead of you!**_

_**Percy: Don't remind me. **_

Another response came a few seconds later.

_**Percy: Maybe I wanted to forget.**_

I was a little confused at that statement. What did he mean by that? Why would he want to forget?

_**Annabeth: Goodnight, Percy.**_

_**Percy: Night wise girl. **_

_**Annabeth: Did u already forget the fact that I'm 3 hours behind you? It's only 9 here, Seaweed Brain. **_

_**Percy: Don't criticize me, woman! **_

_**Annabeth: *gasps* Oh my gods. You know a big word like criticize? I applaud you!**_

I even added a little clapping emoji to go with my message.

_**Percy: ...Shut up.**_

_**Annabeth: That's no way to talk on your birthday. Cheer up! I mean, now you're the same age as me!**_

_**Percy: I'm only 1 month and 6 days younger than u.**_

_**Annabeth: You actually did correct math!**_

I included another clapping emoji.

_**Percy: Annaaaabeeeeeetttttthhhhhhh!**_

_**Annabeth: Peeerrrrccccyyyyy!**_

_**Percy: Stop mocking me. It's my birthday. U should b kind to me. **_

I remembered myself saying almost the exact same thing, when it was my birthday.

_**Annabeth: ...Fine. But I cannot guarantee some of our other friends agreeing this quickly. **_

_**Percy: I'll take whatever I can.**_

_**Annabeth: Now go to bed. **_

_**Percy: Okay mom.**_

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just didn't. Today was basically one of my free-days, or otherwise known as not-having-anything-to-do day. My eyes then fell on the silver box that contained all of Percy's letters. I picked up the box in my hands, and opened it with my necklace-slash-key. Once the lid popped up, I picked up all of the letters that Percy has given me so far. All I did for the time being was just reading all of the titles that are written on the top of the letters, and committing them to memory, so I know when to read them. As I was looking through them, an "_Open This When...You are going to Start School,_" letter caught my eye. I put it on top of my bedside table, so that I can remember to read it. School starts in two days, so I would read it tomorrow.

* * *

_**Annabeth: You have my present, right?**_

It was now officially Percy's birthday, in both of our time zones. I had to text Thalia to make sure that she would give Percy my gift for him. His party should've started already, since it was only ten a.m. here, and probably one p.m. there.

_**Thalia: Yes mom. **_

_**Annabeth: And you're going to give it to Percy, right?**_

I had my doubts about trusting Thalia enough to give my present to Percy, but she was one of my best friends. Of course I trust her. But, then again, I could've always given it to Katie or Juniper. They are pretty trustworthy.

_**Thalia: Yes mom.**_

_**Annabeth: And you never opened the present, yourself, or peeked in it?**_

_**Thalia: Yes mom. **_

I rolled my eyes.

_**Annabeth: Geez. What's up with everyone calling me mom? First Percy, and now you?**_

_**Thalia: Sorry mom. **_

I stared incredulously at my phone.

_**Annabeth: Seriously?**_

_**Thalia: Okay, fine. It's because u r mature and caring and strict like a mom. **_

_**Annabeth: Umm...I'll just take that as a compliment. **_

_**Thalia: Mhmm. Whatever. **_

_**Annabeth: I can see why no one calls you Mom. **_

_**Thalia: I don't like children anyways. **_

_**Annabeth: Why not?**_

_**Thalia: They're annoying and a handful. **_

_**Annabeth: Not all of them. **_

_**Thalia: But a fair amount. **_

_**Annabeth: *sighs* Fine. **_

She never replied after that. I just assumed that she either started making her way over to Percy's apartment, where the party was being held, or is already at the party, and someone distracted her. Well, there's always the option that she just didn't want to reply, which is very likely.

I took Percy's letter from my bedside table, and opened it, finally using a proper mail-opener. I just took one of my dad's extras.

_**Dear Wise Girl, **_

I smiled, knowing that he would probably not use Annabeth, instead of my nickname.

_**So school's probably starting soon...**_

No _duh, _Seaweed Brain.

_**And we are now officially high-schoolers...**_

Yeah we are.

_**YOU'RE STARTING HIGH SCHOOL WITHOUT US, ANNABETH!**_

Calm down, Percy.

_**One of the biggest shifts in our lives, and we're not doing it, together. I mean. We've been through elementary and middle school together! And now high school...It's scary. We wouldn't walk through those doors together, we won't get our schedules together, and we won't compare schedules, because WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CLASSES, WHATSOEVER, TOGETHER! WE'RE NOT EVEN IN THE SAME SCHOOL! WE'RE NOT EVEN IN THE SAME STATE!**_

Woah there. His little outburst was a little random.

_**Okay. Deep breathes. Deep breathes. Phew. I'm all better now...I think. **_

I rolled my eyes.

_**So continuing on with my pessimistic thoughts, **_

Oh gods.

_**We won't sit with each other at lunch, anymore, and we won't dodge older, intimidating people together, (although, I'm pretty sure that **_**you**_** would be the one doing the intimidating).**_

I smiled a bit. I _was_ known for having a scary glare. Someone even stated, and I quote, "It's like they are baring into my soul." If I said that I wasn't oddly satisfied with that statement, then I would be lying.

_**We won't do homework together, you wouldn't **_**help**_** me with my homework, anymore, and we won't practically do anything together. You'll go to your first high school party, without us, and we wouldn't go through this huge milestone, together. It was always just you and me, and now it's just Percy and Annabeth, not Percy **_**and**_** Annabeth, together.**_

...That doesn't really make much sense.

_**Yes I understand that that doesn't make much sense, but you get the gist of it. Come on, use those Wise Girl powers!**_

Wow, Percy. Just, wow.

_**Anyways, I wish you luck on your future endeavors. **_

I rolled my eyes, but hey. He knows a big word like "endeavor."

_**Just remember, if anyone does anything to you...**_

Yes Percy, I know.

_**Just tell me, alright? I'll take care of them. *cracks knuckles* And then all of our friends will take care of them. And then...well, let's just say that they will have nightmares for a little while. As well as some wounds. We'll probably scar them for life. Also, just in case, don't worry if they won't attend school for a little bit. There's nothing to see there. **_

I smiled, because that was so like him. That little over-protective Seaweed Brain.

_**No one, and I repeat no one, messes with my Wise Girl. **_

I think my grin got a little wider.

_**(Don't judge my protectiveness. Personal loyalty, remember?)**_

Of course I remember. After all, how could I forget the fatal flaw that we all agreed upon, for you?

_**Remember that time when that guy tried to bully you back in the fifth grade?**_

Ugh, don't remind me.

_**Ah. Good times, good times. **_

Yeah for you, not much so for me.

_**By the way, that bloody nose wasn't my fault. I still don't understand why I got suspended for it. **_

_Sure, _Percy.

_**I wasn't given proper punishment. I shouldn't have even gotten in trouble! It's not like the kid got severely hurt, or anything. **_

So, a punch in the face isn't severe?

_**And besides, it was self-defense. Well, peer-defense...If that's a real thing. **_

I don't think it is.

_**Thalia would've done worse. **_

You do have a point there.

_**He got off easy. But, hey. At least he stopped bullying you!**_

Gods Percy, it was only one time! He just pushed me down once, and added a few taunts, for only one day!

_**Even if it was only time...It was only one time because I took care of him! You should be thankful.**_

I am thankful, but I would be more-so if your reasoning was actually valid.

_**Hey, remember that time when this one kid ate play-dough in kindergarten? And then the teacher gave him a time-out? Whatever happened to that kid, anyways?**_

I don't know. I think he moved away, or something.

_**Oh well. Remember in the second grade when I ate snow, and got in trouble for it? That was just unfair. The snow was clean, anyways!**_

Not really.

_**And don't you dare give me that speech/rant on how snow comes from the sky, which is polluted, and therefore the snow is polluted. Gods. You made me not want to catch snow on my tongue for days!**_

I smiled.

_**But, eventually, I just stopped caring. We are breathing chemicals every day, anyways, from the oxygen around us. (WE ARE BREATHING IN THE CHEMICALS! *DEEP INHALE* *DEEP EXHALE*)**_

I rolled my eyes.

_**Anyways, remember in the fourth grade, when we were learning about the Medieval Times, and you were a knight? It was so unfair how I was a peasant. **_

I stifled in a laugh.

_**I wished I was something better, like what you were. A knight. Then we could be knight buddies! **_

I rolled my eyes, again.

_**You know. Fighting dragons together, and saving people. I can save princesses, while you save princes...never mind. That'd just be awkward. Besides, **_**you**_** could be the princess, **_

My eyes started narrowing a little bit. I _hated_ being referred to as a princess. It makes me seem too vulnerable and needy. Like Thalia said, not every girl needs their Prince Charming. Sometimes, guys just need their princesses.

_**(you have the hair for it, anyways, and don't you dare deny it!)**_

I rolled my eyes. Just because I have a blond and natural set of curls, does not automatically label me as a princess.

_**and I can be your knight in shining armor!**_

I smiled at that statement.

_**I wouldn't go as far as to call me your prince, that's just weird. **_

It kind of is.

_**Although, now that I think about it, my armor probably won't be that shiny. I'll be your knight in rusty, dull, and dirty armor! (How attractive, huh?)**_

I laughed a bit against my will, because it's so like him to do such a thing.

_**By the way, don't give me that whole I'm-not-a-princess speech. Every girl is a princess, **_

If Thalia were to ever read this, then she would throw a huge fuss.

_**and they should all be treated like one. **_

I smiled. His mushiness is starting to show, again.

_**Remember that pretty sad quote? What if he's your Prince Charming, but you're not his Cinderella? **_

Yes I remember it. Gods. I don't even know how we came across it.

**But, **_**what if she's your Cinderella, but you're not her Prince Charming? Huh? Huh? *waggles eyebrows***_

Huh. I never really thought of it that way.

_**Exactly. So yeah. You'll be the princess,**_

I rolled my eyes.

_**I'll be your knight, and we'll just have to find you a Prince Charming. And, as my duty as the knight, I shall be prepared to kick said prince's butt dare he ever hurt the princess. **_

I smiled. Although, I _am_ still a little annoyed at being called a princess.

_**Oh hush, Annabeth. Even **_**you**_** couldn't deny the fact that we used to role-play those knight and princess scenes when we were little.**_

I was five, okay! The majority of little girls wanted to be princesses!

_**I still remember how your neighbours would look at us weird, as we were fighting the "dragons" and "protecting the castle." We were five-ish, six-ish, what else do they expect? Gods. People these days. So judgemental. **_

Well, I'm pretty sure I would do the same thing. We're just a judgemental species. Deal with it.

_**Even as a pretend princess, you still kicked some major butt. I doubt you even need a prince, or a knight, for that manner. **_

But Percy, I'd still need you. Maybe not as a source of protection, but just as a friend. I wouldn't ask for anything more.

**Not**_** that I want you to be forever alone, with 47 cats, or anything. I just want you to have your happy ending, because you deserve it. All I want is for you to happily ride off into the sunset with your prince, preferably on a black steed named Blackjack (don't judge me). **_

I laughed. Blackjack was the name of Percy's stuffed pegasus, that he just so happened to lose on his ninth birthday.

_**I still miss him, Annabeth. **_

I let a secretive smile appear on my face.

_**And, no. I was not too old to have a stuffed animal. You are never too old! I could be in my eighties, and still have that blue stuffed cookie you gave me. (Even if cookies are not classified as animals. Stuffed **_**things**_**, okay?) **_

Okay. Whatever you say.

_**In other news, I just don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to fall for someone who isn't there to catch you. I don't want you to suffer the completely and utterly irrevocable pain that comes with heartbreak, because it hurts. A lot. Trust me. **_

I raised an eyebrow. How does he know what heartbreak feels like? Maybe he just learned from observing and drawing conclusions.

_**So yeah. Be careful on that first day of school, now. **_

What a horrible subject change. Although, it's not like I'm any better.

_**Don't provoke anyone, and try not to make enemies on the first day. Use those Wise Girl powers and determine who would be good friends. Avoid anyone who seem like those typical, obnoxious populars, and associate yourself with the in-betweeners, so you don't have the pressure of being a popular, and the disadvantage of a "loser." **_

I almost rolled my eyes. I already knew all of this stuff. This was practically our rule-guide when it came to determining anyone who might seem like someone we would want to be acquainted with. It worked so far. I mean, look at our friends! If you look past the weirdness and odd diversity, they were—they are, I mentally corrected—pretty amazing friends.

_**Besides, you're my loser. **_

I smiled.

_**Losers are awesome. I don't get why people think of being a loser as the worst thing possible. I'm a loser, and I'm proud of it!**_

This time, I actually laughed. Only he would be happy of being something that most people would find offensive. Although, I have to agree with his statement. I will take being a loser any day, rather than the opportunity to be popular.

_**Well, now I don't have anything to say. My ADHD mind isn't even helping with ideas. All it's screaming right now is FOOD! and SLEEP! Well, there's always the occasional, WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?!**_

I rolled my eyes, letting a small smile adorn my features.

_**My mind can get pretty philosophical sometimes. Especially when I'm sleepy and not in my right mind. I also get pretty open. I could reveal more on a sleepy night, than someone knowing me for over a year. But, of course, you know all this. **_

I do.

_**After all, you fell witness to one of those tired nights. Thank the gods that I didn't reveal anything (too) embarrassing. **_

I snorted remembering that night. Gods. I teased Percy for weeks on end.

_**So, I guess I should wrap this letter up now. Bye, Annabeth!**_

_**Sincerely, **_

_**Your Seaweed Brain **_

As if on que, my home phone rang right after I finished reading the last line. It was none other than the very Seaweed Brain himself.

"Hello...?" I said into the phone.

"You didn't." He practically squealed with glee over the phone. Yep. I really need to give him a good talk questioning his male-gender status.

"I'm guessing you opened my present..."

"YES!" He screamed. "Thank you so freaking much Annabeth. You didn't even have to get me a present anyways."

I laughed. "It was the least I could do. Besides, you like it, don't you?"

"I flipping love it! I'm going to name him Blackjack 2.0!" Just in case you're confused, I got him another black stuffed pegasus, that perfectly replicates the original Blackjack, down to the finest hair on the mane. What did I say before? I have my resources.

"You're welcome." I couldn't help but smile after hearing the genuine happiness in his voice.

"It looks like a freaking _My Little Pony_ unicorn." I heard Nico grumble somewhere off in the background. Someone snorted.

"It kind of does." Thalia replied.

"You're on speakerphone." Percy mentioned. I made an "O" shape with my mouth, even if they couldn't see me. If I just close my eyes and pretend for a little bit, I could just imagine myself in the same room as them. As if nothing changed.

"You did _not_ just insult _My Little Pony_." I think Travis protested.

"One, Blackjack 2.0 is a pegasus. Not a pony, and definitely not a unicorn. Do you see a horn on it? I don't think so." I nearly snorted when Percy joined in on the conversation. I could practically imagine him snapping his fingers in a Z-formation.

"Two, My Little Pony is strictly ponies, there are no unicorns. Now, that's just ridiculous." Connor added.

"No." Travis butted in. "There are some. Like Rarity and Twilight Sparkle."

"Why don't they just call it _My Little Unicorn_, then?" Nico asked.

"_Because_, there are only some unicorns. Not all of them are one. Hence the title My Little _Pony_." Connor responded.

"Yeah. Like there's Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, etc. Gods, Nico. Get your facts straight." Travis added.

"Must we ask _how_, you know so much about _My Little Pony_?" Katie questioned. I was wondering the same thing.

"That's for us to know, and you to find out, Katie-Kat." Travis replied. I could just imagine Katie rolling her eyes.

"I feel like that could be another Pony name. She could be of the Earth kind, and have green eyes, a-"

"Could we please stop talking of the pony named after me?" I could hear the incredulous tone in her voice. They shut up. I couldn't be evermore thankful. "Thank you."

"But you have to admit though, those are pretty nice names." Grover said, after a bit of an awkward silence. "I mean, come on, now. Sunny Daze and Peachy Pie. Those are pretty nice names. There's also Sunset Shimmer." Grover realized his mistake a second too late.

"Grover!" Katie squeaked.

"I didn't know you watched MLP." I could practically hear the grin in the Stoll's voice. So, for the time being, our weird, weird friends just talked about _My Little Pony_. Thank the gods that this was my home phone and not my cell phone, or else I would've had to hang up early for fear of my remaining minutes. Although, I'm already seriously considering hanging up now, but their conversations were mildly entertaining. Some of our other friends joined in too. I don't even want to know how they know all of this information.

"Rarity!" Silena squealed. "And Fleur Dis Lee!" I don't even know who those ponies are, but they seem to suit Silena.

"Nuh uh." Beckendorf disagreed. "Pinkie Pie all the way!"

There was some silence after that. I never knew that Beckendorf would be one to watch_ My Little Pony_. And love a pony called _Pinkie Pie_. Oh well. I guess guys who look so tough and intimidating also have their weaknesses. For _ponies_.

"More people in the MLP fandom!" Travis yelled with glee. The commotion started again soon after that.

"I prefer Apple Jack." Percy whispered into the phone.

I looked incredulously at the device in my hand, a bit horror stricken. "Percy!"

* * *

**I'll admit it. The names they gave the ponies in MLP are actually _really_ nice names. I like them, at least. Once again, I do not know the ponies in depth, so the ponies I made certain people like aren't really based on anything. I hope you liked it!**

**GreekGeek1140804: Aww. Thank you!**

**PoseidonPrince: Sorry. But, Percy and Annabeth aren't going to get together anytime soon. I already have their relationship planned out. I even know what'll happen in the far future, when they're adults, but I don't know what'll happen in five chapters. *sighs* So yeah. Sorry. They probably aren't even going to get together until they're actually adults. **

**IridescentxPetals: Thank you!**

**Crossing the Galaxy 22: Here you are!**

**LavenderBooks: Me too. But without the sketchy basement. **

**musicforlife: It's okay. I'm crazy too. Although, I'm pretty sure you aren't the only one who talks to a computer. **

**Ya Wouldn't Understand: Yeah, I already responded to you, but oh well. I'm putting you here, again!  
**

**Turquois Crystal: I just searched up sketchy basements in Google images, and tried to describe them as best I can. Glad you found it revolting! I tried.**

**Raibla: Thank you!**

**Writer432: Thank you. And you're welcome. Here you are again!**

**RoyalSonofPoseidon**

**TheOcean'sFirstDaughter**

**percyjacksonfan555**

**NoRealNameBecauseImBroke**

**TheGreekDemigod**

**krazy. khik. noelle**

**mysarcasticlovelife22**

**Soccorgirl1612**

**Mrs. Leo. Jackson**

**PoseidonPrince**

**TwistT2718**

**Loony Woony**

**Cuthcavs55**

**percypotter10**

**PuppiesCanFly**

**legendrising6**

**soupy1642**

**Riptide18**

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**Knotjustabook**

**pseudonym99**

**KeepCalmAndBeADemigod**

**dancer4everBYDE**

**latinagirl-reader2010**

**tripleat1**

**Okay. I feel as if I repeated some people, but oh well. If I'm forgetting anyone, please tell me! But make sure that you were never mentioned in one of the previous chapters first. If I responded to one of your reviews, then consider yourself mentioned. Although, if you do leave a review saying that I forgot you, I'm still mentioning you, anyways, since you left a review. If this is confusing, then you could just ask me, and I'll try to explain as best I can. (Although, my best isn't really good enough.)**


	10. Chapter 10

**I FINALLY FINISHED THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS! I promise no spoilers, but still, GAH! I don't even know what to do anymore! There's always the Norse series, but still. It's not the same. I think I'm going to have post-series depression. Yes. It's a real thing. If you want to gush with me about BoO, you may message me. I need someone to Percy Jackson with. (To any Percy Jackson fan I personally know, I'm either not that close with them, or they haven't even read all the books, yet. Sad. I know.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Nor do I own Eleanor & Park. I'll just take it that you already know who own those. If not... In other news, I'm pretty sure that I don't own that whole "Greek Geeks" idea too, so yeah. **

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

(Annabeth's POV)

When I woke up, it took me exactly one minute and 25 seconds to remember that today was the first day of school. I groaned into my pillowcase, mumbling the word, "Why?" multiple times. Once I finally grabbed a hold onto my emotions, I checked my phone to look at the time, only to see some texts from Percy. I was a little confused to see that it was from 4 am, until I remembered that I was three hours behind. It was technically around seven, there.

_**4:56: Good luck!**_

He even added a little smiley face.

_**4:57: Stop worrying. You'll do fine. **_

_**4:59: If the first day of school was a test, you'd ace it. (Like every. other. single. freaking. test.) **_

I smiled. Even the littlest things Percy does somehow manages to bring me out of any dreary mood. I typed up a quick reply back to him, even if it was completely unnecessary. He was probably already in his second period class, by now.

_You'll do fine, _my brain kept repeating, as if it was on replay. _Just fine. _I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans, as I walked up the steps to Golden Gate High School. The architecture seemed nice enough on the outside, but the inside was absolutely amazing. The top of the building was mostly made up of glass, so the sunlight peeked through the skylight, clearly illuminating the school. In the middle was this spiral staircase that went all the way up to the third floor. To my right was the main office, and Guidance was in front of me, also to the right.

"Welcome to GGHS!" Some cheery students exclaimed, effectively breaking me out of my, as Percy puts it, "Architecture mode." They were handing out some papers, which I found out to be maps of the school. Yes. It was that huge.

I took out my schedule from my bag, which I received in the mail around a week ago. _English, Ms. Moore, 209, _it read. I made my way to the second floor, passing by students chatting with their friends, all reunited. I sighed, knowing that that could've been me, if I had just stayed in New York. Now I'm just a loner, with absolutely no friends, whatsoever. Such a great start to my school year.

Once I arrived to Room 209, there were only five minutes left until the bell. Only a few students were already in the class, and the teacher was sitting at her desk, typing away on the computer. The desks were arranged in twos, and I took a seat in the second row closest to the door, so that I could get out the door quickly enough to go to my third floor, second period class. I took a book out of my bag, and managed not even a few sentences in when a voice interrupted me.

"May I sit here?" I looked up and saw this girl pointing at the seat next to me. She was pretty, without a doubt. Her eyes went from brown one second, then to hazel the next, switching over to blue, and then to green. They were ever changing like a kaleidoscope. With her unevenly chopped hair, and ratty clothing, it seems as if she's trying, and failing, to downplay her own natural beauty.

"Sure." I replied. She seemed nice enough so far, in my opinion.

"Piper." She introduced, sticking her hand out.

I shook it. "Annabeth."

After that, we just sort of fell into a semi-awkward, semi-comfortable silence. I turned back to my book, _Eleanor & Park, _while Piper played with her hair.

_"He'd stopped trying to bring her back. _

_She only came back when she felt like it, in dreams and lies and broken-down déjà vu. _

_Like, he'd be driving to work, and he'd see a girl with red hair standing on the corner – and he'd swear, for half a choking moment, that it was her."_

"Attention class," Ms. Moore said. Wow. I never even noticed that students started piling into the class, until it was almost full. "My name is Ms. Moore, or Ms. M for short. Now, for the rest of this semester..." So for about half of the period, Ms. M just explained the rules of the classroom, what the expectations were, etc. "For the rest of the period, you may interact with the person beside you. Get to know them well, because you will have to do an assignment on them." There were some groans around the classroom, Piper being one. Wow. Not even an hour in on the first day, and we are already assigned a project. "Begin."

I turned to Piper. "So..." She drawled. "Want to play 20 questions?"

I shrugged. I didn't really care. "Sure. You start."

"Full name?" She asked.

"Annabeth Minerva Chase. You?"

"Piper Venus McLean."

I thought about it. "Mclean? That sounds familiar."

She shrugged. "It's a common last name. Birthday?"

"July 12. You?"

"June 3. Any siblings?" So, for the remainder of the period, we just asked each other harmless, trivial questions, probably already surpassing our limit of 20. At first, it started out a bit awkward, and we just acted polite, but it was easy around Piper. She was easy-going and pretty down-to-earth. As a matter of fact, she sort of resembled Silena, except for the fact that Silena is like a girly-girl, and Piper is more tom-boyish. Before long, the bell rang signalling the end of the period.

"What do you have next?" I asked Piper.

"Science with Mr. Smith. You?"

"Math with Ms. Johnson." I was inwardly smiling at the resemblance between Jackson and Johnson.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I think some of my other friends have that class. Lucky."

I felt like sticking my tongue at her, but we weren't that close, yet. "Well too bad."

"See you later." Piper called over her shoulder, as she was walking away.

"Bye." I then practically ran to my next class, and arrived with still some minutes to spare. Up on the board, I saw that we had a seating arrangement, and I was located in the front row, next to this person named Hazel. Huh. I sat in my seat, and pulled out my binder, pencil, eraser, and calculator, even _if_ it was only the first day of school, and I doubt that I already need a calculator. It's always best to come prepared, I guess.

"I'm Hazel." A timid voice said next to me. I was almost startled, though I felt sort of bad at not noticing her suddenly appear out of the blue. Hazel is probably shorter than me, and she looks younger than her actual age. She has this sort of innocent air around her, and has brown-almost-gold eyes, a cocoa complexion, and shoulder-length, cinnamon-brown hair.

"Annabeth." I introduced, even though it was probably unnecessary. Our names were on the board, for gods' sake.

"Hazel!" Someone exclaimed. I turned around and saw this boy with a baby-ish face and bulky build that he seems uncomfortable in. On his way over to Hazel, he bumped into a few tables along the way, and mumbled a shy "sorry" to the inanimate objects.

"Hi Frank." I saw Hazel blush a bit, and when Frank took a seat behind us, I saw that he had a red face also. I looked between the two. They would be cute together...? Oh gods. I think that Silena is rubbing off on me, a little bit. I need to stop these match-making tendencies. "This is Annabeth."

"Hi Annabeth." Frank said to me. I waved in return. Thankfully, our teacher started the class before things got too awkward. Before long, class was already over, and it was lunchtime.

"Would you like to sit with us, Annabeth?" I looked over at Hazel. "Unless you have other friends to sit with, of course. Because in that case, then you don't have too. Wait, that is if you even have lunch now. I should've asked that first. Well, if-"

I smiled, cutting off her rambling. Is it bad that I thought that she was adorable? Like a younger sister? "Thanks. I would love to sit with you guys, if it wouldn't be any trouble."

Frank waved his hand in the air. "Nonsense. Just follow us. I'm sure our friends will accept you."

I nervously smiled at him. "Thanks again."

As we headed towards the cafeteria, I couldn't help but think the worst. What if their friends hated me? What if they don't accept me? What if they turned out to be obnoxious and awful people? I quickly shook that thought out of my mind. Frank and Hazel seemed like good people. Good people are friends with other good people, right? Besides, if they didn't like me, then I could always eat by myself, or find other people to sit with. So far, the majority of people in Golden Gate seemed like nice enough people, and nice enough is all I need.

Once we walked through the entryway of the cafeteria, I heard some people shout "Frank," and "Hazel." There was even the one "Annabeth!" I looked confusedly at whoever called my name and saw Piper waving at us, along with some others. Frank and Hazel started heading over to that direction, and I had no choice but to follow. How convenient was it that the three sort of friends I made turned out to all know each other?

"Guys," Piper announced to the group of students. Frank and Hazel already took their seats, while I just awkwardly hung around. "This is Annabeth."

Choruses of "Hey's," and "Hi's," rang around the circle. There was even the odd, "How's it goin'?" I waved nervously at them.

"Now, everyone introduce themselves." I looked weirdly at Piper. Did she always boss people around...? As if she somehow knew my train of thoughts, she just winked at me. "I'll start. I'm Piper, but you already knew that. Jason. You're next."

This one guy, with blond-ish hair, cropped military-style, and electric blue eyes, looked at Piper confusedly. There seems to be a lot of that lately. Confusion, I mean. "I'm, uh, Jason. But, you already knew that since Piper over here, already oh-so-kindly introduced me." Piper had the right to look sheepish.

"I'm the Super-Sized McShizzle, but you can call me anything you like, sweetie." I looked over at this one person who looks like a Latino Santa's elf, who drank way too much eggnog. When he winked at me, I tried not to get too revolted.

Thankfully, this girl who sat next to him smacked his arm, and he rubbed it in pain. "I'm Calypso, and this loser over here is Leo." Calypso was really pretty, with caramel-coloured hair, and dark almond eyes. She seems to have this timeless glow, as if she doesn't succumb to it.

"Aw, Callie, you know you love me." Leo winked at her, and Calypso visibly and overdramatically shuddered.

"Ugh. You wish, Leo."

"You know I do." Despite his teasing tone, I felt as if there was something deeper in there. As if he truly liked her. Now that I think about it, Calypso and Leo sort of reminded me of Travis and Katie. They both have that sort of teasing, love/hate relationship about them.

"Moving on," this one girl, who has this sort of air of royalty around her, said. "I'm Reyna. Nothing more, and nothing less."

"Don't make the mistake of calling her Rey-Rey," Leo whispered over to me.

"I heard that Valdez." Reyna narrowed her near-black eyes, until they were nearly piercing through Leo's soul.

"Yes, ma'am." He squeaked. Huh. I wonder if that's how people feel when I glare at them. Reyna and I could be pretty good friends, I guess. All of them could be my friends, as a matter of fact. They seem nice enough.

"Great," Piper clapped her hands. "Now that introductions are over, Annabeth?" I looked at her. "You may sit anywhere."

Leo patted the seat next to him, while waggling his eyebrows. I took a seat next to Reyna, while bringing out my lunch. "You're mean." Leo pouted. I just took a bite out of my sandwich.

"She's being smart." Calypso retorted.

"So, Annabeth?" Leo asked, ignoring Calypso. "Where're you from?"

I looked at him debating whether or not to answer. "Leo, you're creeping the poor girl out." Hazel said.

"Hazel's right." Jason chimed. "She just got here. I thought that you usually wait at _least_ a week before bringing out the stalker cape."

"I'm not a stalker!" Leo protested.

Frank snorted. "_Sure_, you aren't."

"Uh, yeah you are. There's no denying it, dude." Jason said.

"Creeper..." Calypso whispered, loudly.

Leo pouted. "You guys are mean. All of you."

Before anyone else could retort, someone suddenly sat down in the seat next to Leo. "Sorry I'm late, guys." Something about the new guy's blond hair seemed strikingly familiar...

Frank waved his hand in the air. "It's okay, Luke." And that was when everything slid into place.

My eyes widened. "Luke? Luke Castellan?"

His blue eyes looked up at me, and my breath hitched. "Annabeth?"

After a couple minutes of an awkward silence, filled with us staring at each other, Piper finally intervened. "Okay. I'm lost. How do you guys know each other?"

"We were friends back home in New York, from grade one, all the way to grade six, when I moved away." Luke answered for me. "How's the gang, by the way?"

"They're fine." I managed to say, trying to keep the blush on my cheeks to a minimum.

"So a New Yorker, huh?" Leo asked.

"Yeah." I said a bit defensively.

"Oh, I mean no disrespect." He quickly recovered. "It's just that I pegged you more as a Cali girl."

"Um. Okay..?" I really didn't know how to respond to that.

"Moving on." Piper said a bit loudly. "Annabeth? Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?"

"I don't know what there is to know." I responded truthfully.

Leo looked a bit confused. "_Whaaat_?"

"Idiot," Calypso whispered under her breath.

"Hey!" He protested. I smiled a little sadly at that little exchange. They remind me so much of my friends back home.

"Sort of reminds you of Travis and Katie, huh?" Luke asked. I felt a bit bad; I sort of forgot that he was here. You'd think that after two-ish, three years of not seeing each other, we'd have a grander reunion.

"Yeah." I replied.

"How're they coming along?"

"Silena created a ship name for them."

Luke didn't look surprised. That was basically Silena's thing, anyways. She probably shipped people, and created ship names ever since she was diapers. "What is it? Katis? Travitie?"

I snorted. "Those sound like Katniss and cavity."

He laughed. "Yeah. It kind of does."

"Yeah." A moment's pause. "It's Tratie."

"Tratie? That's cute."

"Yeah it is." After that, we were left with a sort of comfortable silence. I was slightly awed at how easily things got back to normal between us.

"What were you two talking about?" Piper asked.

"Something about cavities." Leo mumbled.

"Was I talking to you?" Even if it seemed a bit rude, there was an underlying tone of affection underneath it. Sort of like what an older sister has for her troublesome younger brother.

"No need to be mean about it, Pipes." Leo teased.

"Sorry." But she didn't seem sorry.

"We were just talking about our friends back home." Luke replied.

Frank looked confused. "You have a friend with a cavity?"

Leo shook his head in mock disappointment. "No silly. They obviously have a friend named Cavity."

I sighed. "Look what you did?" I told Luke. He just shrugged. "No we were just talking about two of our friends back home who would be really good together." I told the rest of the group. "They even have a ship name."

"Tratie." Luke added.

Leo whistled. "Dang Annabeth. I never pegged you as a shipper who creates ship names."

I revolted at that thought. "Oh gods, no. One of our friends back home created it. She's the one who's the massive shipper who creates a ship for everyone."

"Like Pipes over here?" Jason asked "innocently."

"Hey," Piper pointed a finger at him, threateningly. "Watch it."

He mock saluted. "Yes ma'am."

"But, you can't deny the fact that you do make ship names for a living." Leo pointed out.

"Shut up, Repair Boy." She retorted. I must've looked confused, because she told me, "Long story."

"Leo has a point, though." Calypso pointed out.

Leo put his hands over his chest. "Thank you, Calypso. Thank you so much!" He cried.

"Oh my gods." She mumbled under her breath.

I was a bit shocked. "You guys are fans of Greek mythology, too?"

They all looked at me shocked, except for Luke. "Yes. You too?" Piper asked.

"Yeah."

"WOO!" Leo cheered. A few other students from the other tables looked at us weirdly. "More Greek Geeks!"

"That's what you call yourselves?" I asked.

"Correction. That's what Leo calls us." Piper told me.

"Huh. Maybe I should start calling my other friends that too." I contemplated.

"Hey." Leo pointed his finger at me. "If you ought to use it, there are some copyright issues that come with it."

Piper rolled her eyes. "_Or_, they could be part of, as you so eloquently put it, 'The Greek Geeks.'"

He grinned. "Okay!"

"But, you barely know them. How come you already accept them?" I questioned.

"If they're as great as you, then why not?" Piper reasoned.

"Fine then." We then lapsed off into a comfortable silence. Once a few minutes have gone by, Leo started randomly tapping his fingers on the table. After a while, I realized that it was Morse Code. Not knowing what else to do, I tapped a reply.

Leo looked at me, with his eyes wide. "You know Morse Code?"

Everyone looked at me, and I felt me face heat up a bit from all the attention. "Uh, yeah."

Leo beamed at me. "That's it. I like you. I officially declare you as part of our group. Anyone object?" No one did, and I smiled. "Good. Now Jason?" Jason looked at him. "Stalker cape? Really?"

Jason blushed a bit. "Shut up!"

* * *

**And now the rest of the gang is here! I know most of you love your Leo, so I'll somehow try to incorporate these people back, even after Annabeth moves back to New York. No promises, though. Anyways, I hope you liked it! **

**Crossing the Galaxy 22: Thank you! It's nice to know that I somehow made someone laugh. **

**percabeth07: Hehe. Sorry. **

**redRWBYhood: It's okay. Randomness is perfectly normal. But, I wouldn't mind being a geek, also. GREEK GEEKS! Yeah. I'm random, too. **

**secret. writer: Thank you! But, of course, if you're still in school, then there's the weekend to look forward to!**

**yuleidy. espinal. 56: Aww. Thank you! But sorry. I usually update on Fridays only, unless certain severe circumstances permit. **

**DeanJoFourTrisPercabeth: Thank you! Like I said before, it's nice to know that I made someone laugh. **

**Turquoise Crystal: Thanks. I was desperate for ideas to add more words. **

**Sweet Cats: Sorry. In only ten minutes I can barely write a paragraph. **

**TheSarcasticLittleB-tchYouHate: Thanks.**

**A the Invisible: Thank you!**

**ThisShipShallSail: Thank you!**

**fanfic Olympian: I thought that the Stolls would like MLP...? And nice to know that I actually made a pony suit Silena. **

**Shinny Star: No offense to MLP fans, but I just assigned random ponies to different characters. I don't know them in depth. **

**musicforlife: I have no idea who they are either. Yay! I made a list! And I'm pretty sure the majority of the PJO/HoO fandom loves Leo. It's sort of inevitable. **

**Writer432: Thank you! But, I'm pretty sure that Percabeth is the definition of perfection.**

**ApTeryyx**

**Danjac09**

**Flint247**

**Motorider7**

**alocamacho**

**doggieswag**

**eslt**

**baymay**

**sara. Carolina. 37**

**iampercyjackson'swife**

**DaDaysFangirlingPercabethD **

**cantbetamed5656**

**Burst. ofSILENCE**

**DaughterofIris9 **

**RachelChaseJackson**

**alocamacho**

**elena2awesome**

**prncessawesomeness**

**So, by now, I'm pretty sure you get the gist of the concerns regarding this list above. So, please excuse me as I assume the fetal position in a dark corner, rocking back and forth, crying my eyes out. Seriously, I feel as if my heart was ripped out of my chest, and stomped on by all the demigods, drowned by Percy, burned into a crisp by Leo, and then Nico probably threw it down into Tartarus. Exaggeration? There are none in PJO/HoO. So yeah. *sniffles* Bye for now. Until next week. *cries* **


	11. Chapter 11

**So this chapter goes out to ****AustinWritesThePJBooks, ****DauntlessDemigod, ****UnexpectedChair, and ****ThisShipShallSail for giving me the topic of, "_OTW...you get new friends_," or at least, something similar to that. Also, if you don't already know, THE GREEK HEROES COMES OUT NEXT YEAR ON PERCY'S BIRTHDAY! You guys deserve to know. Blood of Olympus wasn't really the end! (Although, it still kind of was.) And we get classic first-Percy's perspective! **

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson. Not me. **

* * *

**Chapter Eleven **

(Annabeth's POV)

_**12: 31: So...? How was your first day? **_

_**12: 32: Oh schist. Ur still in school. **_

_**12: 33: I'm sooooo sorry, Wise Girl. **_

_**12:34: Will u pleaz forgive me? **_

Percy even added a little picture of him pouting at the camera. Gods. Even through a picture, he still looks like a little adorable baby seal. Thankfully, I had years of practice trying to hold my own against it. Although, that doesn't make it any less adorable.

_**12:35: I didn't get u in trouble, riiite? **_

_**12:36: Greeat. 3 more hours of torture. **_

And then Percy proceeded to send a couple hundred more texts apologizing.

_**1:12: I'm such a Seaweed Brain. **_

_**1:13: But I'm your Seaweed Brain! ;P**_

I tried to stifle in a laugh. After a few more texts _still_ coming in, I decided to relieve Percy of his stress.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Wise Girl," was Percy's first words when I called him.

"It's okay." But, I don't think he heard me.

"I forgot, okay? Can you blame me? No, you can't. Blame my short term memory. Besides-"

His rambling was cut off from my laughter. "Percy?"

"Yeah?" He sounded a bit nervous.

"Shut up."

"So you're not mad?" He sounded hopeful.

"I never was."

He sighed, probably in relief. "Oh thank the gods. Anyways, how was your first day?"

I tried not to roll my eyes. "It was surprisingly okay. I made some new friends."

"Ha!" I could basically hear his grin through the phone. "I told you that everything would be alright! You just have to believe!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Oh my gods. I just realized something." He didn't wait for a reply. "I'm right about something!" I heard some thumps. Probably from him dancing around.

"Please tell me you're not dancing."

The thumps stopped. "I'm not."

"Sure. Whatever you say."

"I wasn't!"

"Then please, do tell, what were those thumping sounds?"

Silence. "You heard that?"

"You're not exactly quiet."

Some more silence. "Well this is awkward."

"Seaweed Brain," I muttered.

"Anyways, back to my original question. What are your friends like?"

I resisted from rolling my eyes. That was such a bad subject change. "Remember Luke?"

"Luke? Luke Castellan? No way."

"Yes way."

A pause. "Seriously? How is he?"

"He's fine."

"Is he still," Percy cleared his throat, and said in a very high-pitched voice, "'So amazing, and dreamy, and handsome. His blue eyes are just to die for and do you see his muscles?'" His voice squeaked a little at the end.

I blushed. "Shut up! I do _not_ sound like that."

I could practically hear his mischievous grin. "Who said that I was talking about you?" A moment's pause. "That's right. No one."

I held my face with the one hand that wasn't holding the phone. "Could we please stop talking about this?"

"Fine. But, I got to go. I have homework."

"On the first day?" Shock was clearly evident through my voice.

"Blame Mrs. Dodds."

"She's there?" I was shocked. Mrs. Dodds used to teach at our old middle school, but she left for some other better teaching job.

"Yup." Percy popped the 'p.' "I guess that that other teaching job was at Goode High."

"That sucks."

"Yeah it does."

"Well, bye."

"Bye. Tell little Lukey that I said 'hi!'"

"Percy!" I exclaimed, but he hung up. I groaned, and that silver box Percy gave me caught my eye. Right. I still had that letter about when I made my first friends.

_**Dear Wise Girl, **_

I sighed. I was already getting used to it, by now.

_**I just need to get this out of my systems first. I TOLD YOU SO! I TOLD YOU THAT THERE WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! YOU JUST NEED TO TRUST ME MORE WISE GIRL! **_

I do trust you. I trust you with my life.

_**In other news, they better be good friends now. *wags finger in the air* If they aren't...**_

Yes, Percy. I understand.

_**Hehe. They won't ever bother you again. Although, if you have female friends, then ask Thalia. Remember? I have to respect girls, and stuff. That includes not hurting them. Both emotionally and physically. I have morals too, you know? **_

I know.

_**Although, that doesn't mean that I can't give them a lecture, right? You know. Telling them how they made a grave mistake, and that they'd regret it. Stuff like that. They will be sorry. **_

I sighed. Percy can get really protective at times.

_**In other news, I'd like to meet them. They must have the best friend seal of approval. If I like them, and all of our friends like them, feel free to marry them.**_

I snorted.

_**I'm the godfather of your children, right? I vow to protect them, and to love them as if they're my own. Don't worry. **_

I won't.

_**As much as I will love your children, I don't want any little Annabeths running around, anytime soon. One of you is already too much. **_

I rolled my eyes trying to tone down the blush on my cheeks.

_**Gods help me if there were more than one of you. **_

Gods help me if there were more than one of _you_. The world would probably already be burned down to the ground. Or flooded...

_**We don't need a world with a million little blonde-haired and grey-eyed geniuses correcting dictionaries. One is enough. Although, I bet your children would be beautiful, though. **_

I smiled, but seriously wished that he would change the subject. I'm only fourteen for gods' sake!

_**Could you name one Percy Jr.? Or Percy, in honour of me? *winks* **_

I refrained from rolling my eyes.

_**And if it's a girl...meh. Percy still works. It could be short for Persephone or something. Your kids could be named after our obsession. **_

This time I did not hold back.

_**Well, fine. Name it whatever. Whatever I say won't change your mind or anything. **_

You sure about that?

_**I'll still love them, nevertheless. You better do the same if I ever had children. **_

Once again, I noticed that he used 'if.' Is he really that insecure or something? Any girl would be crazy to not want to date him. He'd be a great husband. Cheesy, but still amazing.

_**I'll probably name one in honour of you. **_

I cooed in my mind. I would be honoured.

_**Little Annie Junior. **_

My eyes started narrowing. _Annie,_ huh?

_**Little Annie Jackson. That works!**_

I smiled, despite my hatred of that nickname for me. Annie is an okay name in general, but I don't know. I just developed an hatred for it when used on me.

_***coughs* Moving on!**_

I sighed in relief. That was just getting awkward.

_**I understand that your new friends might be absolutely amazing and stuff, **_

They do seem pretty okay so far. A bit weird, but I'm used to it.

_**but don't forget us, okay? **_

I remembered Percy asking the same thing in his other letter, before.

_**Who knows? Maybe we could merge our two groups together! Spread the weirdness everywhere!**_

Yeah. Because we don't have enough craziness with just you guys. You know what? Just you in general.

_**We need to spread the joy! Let people know that weirdness is okay! Normalcy is what's off! You call us weird? We say 'thank you!' You call us crazy? We say 'What was your first clue?'**_

You _so_ stole that from the Internet.

_***Insert copy write and disclaimer stuff here* I don't own those things, yada, yada, yada. You get the gist of it. **_

I rolled my eyes.

_**So yeah. We're weird. Don't question us about it, and we won't go all crazy-ninja on you! You know. Throwing stars filled with the magical pixie dust of doom. Beware us! **_

Okay... He's getting a bit random now.

_**I guess I should probably warn you, I had a teensy bit of sugar before I wrote this letter. **_

That explains it. He gets hyper pretty fast.

_**But just a little. Maybe a slice of rum cake, too. **_

I groaned. Who decided that it would be a marvellous idea to give him that?

_**I mean, it was just **_**there**_**. What do you expect me to do? I was hungry!**_

Percy. You're always hungry.

_**And the cake just stood there. It was practically calling me, Annabeth. I couldn't just hang up!**_

I rolled my eyes.

_**Blame the cake, not me. I am responsible for nothing.**_

Uh huh. _Sure._

_**In other news, what was the original topic? **_

Seriously?

_**Oh right. Friends. New friends. Friends that you are making without me. FRIENDS THAT ARE GOING TO REPLACE ME!**_

No one is going to replace you. Gods, Percy. I thought that we already established that.

_**What if you like them better than me? What if you don't like me anymore? **_

That will never happen, Percy. Well, at least, for the time being.

_**I'm getting hysterical, Wise Girl. Blame the rum cake. **_

I laughed, even if it was an inappropriate action to take, in this case.

_**Just know that even if you stop being my friend, I'll always be yours. Even if you push me away, and start hating me, I'll always be here. I'm just a phone call away, don't hesitate to contact me. I'll be by your side in a heartbeat, if that's what you want. I'll jump off a cliff for you Annabeth, just say the word. I'm always here, and I'm not going anywhere. **_

I felt a few tears prick at the corners of my eyes. _I'll do the same, Percy, _I thought._ I promise. _

_**Great. I guess I also get sentimental and sappy when I'm under the influence of rum cake too. Great. Just great. **_

I laughed. Wow Percy. You always know how to diffuse and break a potentially meaningful moment, huh?

_**Next thing you'll know, I'll be spilling out my deepest and darkest secrets out of the foreboding pit that is my conscience.**_

Wow. He's starting to get a bit poetic, again.

_**Great. Add deep and philosophical to that list too. You know, the list about "What Percy does when under the influence (of rum cake)." I'm discovering more about myself in this one letter, than I have for the past month. Maybe I should eat rum cake more often. **_

_NO! _I thought with panic.

_**Hmm. Better not. **_

I sighed in relief.

_**I don't need another visit to the Emergency Room any time soon. Just watch the next thing I do is think that I'm a fish and can breathe underwater. **_

I snorted. He _is_ practically part fish anyways what with spending half of his time in the water, or just swimming in general. I wouldn't be surprised.

_**...That won't turn out well. I got lucky this time. I'd rather not take my chances. **_

Who are you? And what have you done with Percy?

_**I'd like to live quite the long life, thank you very much. I know that Death can't wait to get a hold on this amazing-ness, but he'll have to wait. This fabulous person right here isn't going away, any time soon. **_

I rolled my eyes, but still smiled, nevertheless.

_**That means more time to annoy you, Wise Girl. You're welcome. **_

No thank you. I'm perfectly fine.

_**Preferably, I'd like to pass on, at the peaceful age of 110, in my sleep, after living a good life. **_

I doubt that you would get to live that long, but gods' know that I'd wish you were immortal, so that you would never have to experience the pain of death.

_**For you...well, you can live to the ripe age of 10,000, after living the best life ever. Hades, I'd wish that you were immortal, if given the chance. **_

Now, 10,000 is just worse. That's physically impossible. If not that, then very, _very_ unlikely.

_**Even if immortality is a gift, I consider it more like a curse.**__**I mean, you'd have to watch every single person you love and know die, you'd have to see the world slowly get worse and worse, as technology gets better. The air is bad enough now, imagine it two hundred years from now! I'd be surprised if you could still breathe! Also, if you fall in love with a mortal, you'd have to watch them die. And even then, there's also the possibility that you could never be in a proper relationship, in order to prevent heartbreak. For both you and your lover. Being immortal is just sad. The perks have nothing on the negatives. At least, if you were mortal, then you and your significant other can be (hopefully) happy in the afterlife...? **_

Huh. You make a valid point there. I taught you well, little Seaweed Brain. I taught you well. And maybe English class too.

_**If given the chance, I would probably refuse immortality. Death is a price I'm willing to pay. *sighs* I guess I wouldn't want you to be immortal either. Ten thousand years of living it is, then! **_

Percy really _does_ know how to shatter a heartfelt discussion.

_**Although, I'm not sure if that's any better. **_

It probably isn't.

_**There's still suffering and loss and death... I've been hanging out with Nico too much. **_

I snorted. Yeah, you have.

_**He's making my mind morbid and depressing. Blame him. So yeah. I guess you can't live for 10,000 years then. **_

It's still impossible, even if I wanted to.

_**Bummer. As long as possible! There. Happy now? It's "scientifically probable." **_

Well, considering the fact that you haven't specified a particular amount, it's not accurate, but still technically true, I guess.

_**Yeah, yeah, yeah. No need to give me a whole rant on probabilities and stuff. No need to say that one in every few million people live past the age of 100. **_

Well, now with better technology, the amount of people living past the age of 100 are steadily rising. It's probably more common than every few million people.

_**We don't need to know that. **_

It could be helpful. What if you need to know it for bonus marks? You never know when you'll need random statistics and facts.

_**What was the topic again? We got a little side-tracked. **_

Wow, Percy. Why am I not surprised?

_**Oh right. Friends. Well, I basically have no more say in that topic, so hey? Why not try out that USB? **_

Sure, why not? I was always curious about it, anyways.

_**The code is: 1234. **_

I rolled my eyes.

_**Don't blame me! I was seriously lacking creativity when thinking up a code. Anyways, see you later! Well...err...talk to you later...? Whichever. Bye! **_

_**Sincerely, **_

_**Your Seaweed Brain **_

I sighed, getting up from my comfortable position on my bed. I dragged my feet over to my desk, plucked up my laptop, and practically fell back onto my bed, once more. After waiting for forever, which, in technicality, was probably only three minutes, my device finally loaded. I inserted the USB and waited. Before long, I found the file labelled with the numbers, _004,_ and typed in the code. Nothing happened for a while, and my heart sank. What if I got the wrong USB? What if it was broken? What if-

My thoughts were broken from a new screen appearing on the display. I desperately wished that Percy didn't accidentally give me a virus or something. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. I would be annoyed and angry beyond repair, but not surprised. Thankfully, my prayers were answered by a slide show starting to play. At least there weren't any malicious software.

**I HOPE YOU LIKE IT!** Were the first words that the slide show played. A song started to play in the background, and it seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it. Oh well. It had a nice melody, anyways.

The slide show continued playing, and I saw pictures of all of my friends. There was one of all eleven of us, at the park celebrating Percy's twelfth birthday. I snorted remembering when we forced upon a little blue birthday hat on him. To make him feel better, we all wore one, with each of us wearing a different colour. Hades, even Nico and Beckendorf wore one, and that really says something.

The next picture showed us in our younger stages. I smiled, they were all so adorable. Silena had her hair in pigtails, and even then, you could see the mischievousness in the Stoll's eyes. Beckendorf still had a large build even as a kid, and I smiled a little sadly when I saw that Grover never got crutches yet. The disease in his leg came later on, maybe around the third grade. Gods. He was so energetic and playful, back then. Sure, he still is, but now he has restrictions.

I snorted when I saw that the slide changed to the Halloween of the second grade. We all dressed up in little costumes, and now I wonder, "What the _Hades_ were we thinking?" Silena was a princess (obviously), Travis and Connor were Salt and Pepper, Katie was a flower, Juniper was a tree (do they even sell tree costumes?), Beckendorf was a super hero, Grover was a goat, Thalia was a witch, Nico was a ninja, I was an owl, and Percy. Gods. Percy was a_ fish_. I never even knew that you could find a costume for that. As I seriously questioned our choices, I remembered that we _chose_ to have weird costumes. Sure some of them made sense, but seriously? A fish? That was just odd. Thankfully, we were only seven-ish, eight-ish, so it didn't really matter what others thought, because we were freaking adorable.

Another girl stood off to the side, next to Nico, and I felt bad that it took me a while to remember her. It was Bianca di Angelo, Nico's older sister. She was dressed as an angel, and I felt tears prickle at my eyes because of the irony. Just a few years later, in the sixth grade, Bianca was in a car accident. She was only fourteen. Bianca was with her mom, who was driving to the store. A drunk driver ran through the red light, and hit them straight-on. Neither Bianca, nor their mom, made it.

After the announced death, Nico shut himself away from everyone. He didn't talk to anyone for days. All he did was stay in his bedroom, and probably cried and reminisced. After a while, though, Nico felt at least a little better, and started talking to us, again. Although, after the crash, it was like we lost Nico, too. He changed after, and not necessarily for the better. Before, he was so happy, so cheerful. Gods. He was always so hyper and smiling. Nico was like the Stoll's, but now? He's, dare I say it, almost depressed. He shuts everyone out, and I forgot how his old smile used to look like. Every now and then we'd see a little glimpse of the old Nico, but it'd disappear just as quickly. I love Nico as if he's my brother, and I'd do anything to see him happy, again.

I paused the slide show, tears already threatening to fall out of my eyes. I knew Bianca, she was like the older sister I never had. She was always there for all of us, and Nico wasn't the only one who suffered. We all lost a sister.

My phone rang, and I saw Percy's face appear.

"Hey Wise Girl," Percy greeted once I picked up the phone. His voice already somewhat comforted me. "What's up?"

I bit my tongue to keep some tears from falling. "Why did you add that picture of Bianca in your slide show?"

There was a moment of silence. Probably from him thinking. "Oh! Oh my gods. I'm so sorry, Wise Girl. I wasn't thinking."

"Clearly," I muttered. Even if three years already passed, the wound was still fresh. "It still hurts." I guess I might be acting a little over dramatic, I mean, she wasn't at all blood related to me, but I treated her like she was.

"I know Wise Girl. I know." It was then that I remembered that Bianca was Percy's _cousin_. He had the right to grieve.

"I'm sorry." I randomly blurted out, even if there wasn't anything to be apologetic for.

"Me too."

* * *

**I hope you liked it! I didn't proofread this as thoroughly as I wished to do, so please excuse any mistakes. Sorry if I gave you any Bianca or Nico feels. Also, this won't be Annabeth/Nico or anything of the sort. *shudders* They'll just have a little brother/sister relationship, maybe. If not, then they'd just barely interact. **

**BookNuts: You're lucky that you happened to ask for an update, on the day that I actually update. Fridays only, unless certain circumstances say otherwise. Thank you, though!**

**secret. writer: Aww. Thank you! **

**Ellz - Goddess of Fish: Thanks, and maybe..? I'll try to incorporate everyone's favorite character...OCTAVIAN! *gags* (That was sarcasm, as you probably already guessed.) **

**Crossing the Galaxy 22: Thank you!**

**imaagine4ever: Thank you! Hopefully you're fine when your friends MLP fangirl. **

**Turquoise Crystal: Thank you! Glad that I got their characters right. **

**spiesareawesome: I don't think that Leo V spelling LoVe is just a coincidence. Who knows? Just watch that Rick had this all figured out. **

**fanfic olympian: *LITTLE SPOILER ALERT!* I think he's her cousin. There was a little hint at it in BoO. **

**Rainbow Lava Ninjas: Aww. Thank you!**

**SilverHuntress: Heh heh heh. Well...umm...you see, the thing is, *runs away* **

**Flying in Heaven: I still feel like curling up into a ball and crying. *sighs* **

**WaterPhoenixRules**

**percabethforever6775**

**Earlygirl1998**

**NO0NEKNOWS**

**beeryj**

**ClearSkies-L**

**amanda312chen**

**Matthew Orion Potter**

**Random Person with No Name**

**Scarlet Brook**

**Shangratiger101**

**I'm sorry if I forgot anyone. Please tell me if I did. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Not much things happen in this chapter, so it's a sort-of filler. Sorry for the short-ness. I couldn't find anything to write, and I didn't have much time to add onto it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. **

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

(Annabeth's POV)

"So, what was it like in New York?" Piper asked. A few days had passed, and we were in our homeroom, already starting our "Classmate Biography" project.

"It was good." I replied.

She raised an eyebrow. "Just good?"

"Lovely? Amazing? Absolutely the best years, and only years, may I add, of my life? Good enough?" I questioned.

She raised her hands up in fake surrender. "Amazing works. Any friends?"

I smiled a little sadly. "Well, there's Percy, Thalia, Grover, Silena, Beckendorf, Travis, Connor, Katie, Juniper, and Nico."

She whistled. "Dang, Chase. That's quite the group there, Little Miss Popular."

"Oh, shut up."

"What are they like? Tell me about them." I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I'll admit, I was a little reluctant. I barely knew Piper, and I was already practically spilling out my life story to her. Sure it was for the project, but still. Well, I guess it's because Piper has this sort of aura that makes you trust her, and you just know that she'd keep your secrets. Sort of like Percy.

"Well," I started. What's the harm, anyways? I was talking about _them_, not about myself. It's not like Piper stalks people down, and kills them in their sleep. Well, as far as I knew, which isn't that much. "For starters, Percy, Thalia, and Nico are cousins. I met Percy and Thalia in kindergarten, along with Luke." Piper nodded in understanding. "The rest of the gang came later on, and our little group was completed by the time we were in the first grade. We were practically inseparable."

"What're they like?" Piper repeated her question.

"Well, Silena was like the matchmaker of the group. She absolutely loved love, and anything to do with it. Silena's practically the definition of a 'girly-girl.' She's always up to date with the latest fashion and celebrity gossip, and stuff like that." I saw Piper's nose scrunch up a little bit, so I quickly back-tracked. "Oh no. She's not like that." Piper rose an eyebrow. "She isn't obnoxious or selfish or anything of the sort. She's beautiful on the inside and out. Silena loves everything and everyone, but if she just so happens to hate someone, then she has a good reason. She can be vicious, and is a prime example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

Piper looked a bit bashful at her own conclusions, but nevertheless, waved me on to continue. "She's dating Charles Beckendorf, but everyone calls him Beckendorf. Only Silena is allowed to call him by his first name."

Piper tilted her head to the side. "How old are they?"

"Same age as me. Fourteen." I responded.

"And they're already dating?" She exclaimed.

"I know right? In my opinion, that seems way too young, but they work. Their relationship isn't based off of infatuation, or anything. They truly like each other."

Piper nodded. "Okay. Continue."

"So, Beckendorf looks like this really tough person on the outside, as if he could take you down in just two seconds flat, but he's actually a huge softie. Especially when it comes to Silena. Although, if you hurt any of his friends or family, or more in particular, Silena, then he wouldn't hesitate to break your neck."

I then continued on describing each of my friends in detail. How Katie, Juniper, and Grover are total environmentalists, and always promote healthy lifestyles that benefit both you and the economy. How Thalia can seem very scary, but is actually a totally different person on the inside. I mentioned how Nico looks and acts "emo-ish," but at the same time, can be very outgoing. How Travis and Connor are way too mischievous and always have that certain look, as if they did something that no one knows about.

"Sounds like Leo." Piper commented, after I finished describing the Stolls. "They would get along great."

My eyes widened. I didn't know Leo that well, but he does seem like the type of person that the Stoll's would like and hang around. "Oh gods no." I shook my head. "Destruction would ensue if they ever meet. The world would be this horrible place, filled with pranks and crimes being committed every other minute."

Piper sighed. "I guess I'm going to have to cross that out of my bucket list. So, who else is left?"

I smiled. "Percy. Just Percy."

Piper looked confused. "Percy? That's an unusual name."

I snorted. An unusual name for an unusual person. "Yeah. It actually is. It's short for Perseus. Like, the Greek hero."

Piper nodded. "I know." She tapped her head. "Greek mythology freak, over here. Remember?"

"How could I forget?" I paused, trying to collect my thoughts. What was there to say about Percy? "Well, Percy is this total Seaweed Brain." That works.

She looked confused. "Seaweed Brain?"

"That's my nickname for him."

Piper tilted her head to the side, again, with her mouth curved into an almost-smile. "That's cute."

I snorted. "Not really. All of our friends had nicknames for each other back home."

She sighed, but I still noticed a wicked glint in her eyes. "Fine then. Continue."

"So, Percy absolutely loves the beach, and anything to do with water. He loves blue food," Piper scrunched up her eyebrows, but didn't question the odd colouring, "and is a total momma's boy."

Piper smiled softly. "That's a refreshing change. You don't see too many of those, these days. Pride and self-image and whatnot."

I nodded. "I know right? But Percy loves his mom, and would do anything for her." _Like he would do anything for you. _"He's really selfless, brave, kind, caring, loyal, especially loyal, funny, forgiving, and he can make anyone happy." I smiled. "Percy's also a complete dork, really awkward, and a bit insecure." I felt a grin tug at the corners of my mouth when remembering our little 'prep talk' for him. "But, he can also be really dense at times. Percy is practically the definition of oblivious, but that aspect sort of makes him seem innocent. He might seem a bit stupid at times, but he is actually really smart and perceptive." I looked at Piper, since she was awfully quiet during my speech, and saw that she was fighting a grin, but failing epically. "What?"

"Oh nothing." By now she was full-out grinning. "What does he look like?"

I was a little confused. Why would she want to know that? She never asked for any of the others. "Well, he is probably around the same height as me, and has raven-black hair, and sea-green eyes that could reflect his mood. Like, it would become this deep green when he's angry, and a lighter, sort of aquamarine, bluish-green, when he's really happy or excited."

Piper's grin was starting to freak me out a little now. "Is he cute?"

I spluttered. "W-what?"

She rose an eyebrow. Geez. Is that her thing, or something? "Is he cute?"

I felt my cheeks heat up, a little bit. "I don't know. Maybe..?" She gave me a pointed look. "Other people claim that he might be _cute_, but I don't know." Piper didn't look satisfied with that answer. "Why do you want to know? Are you interested or something?"

It was Piper's turn to blush now. "No! Oh, gods no."

I smirked. "Whatever you say. I know that you're waiting for a certain blond-haired and blue-eyed person, who happens to go by the name of Ja-"

Piper cut me off. "Shut up! I do not like him!"

"Uh huh. Sure." Even after the few days that I had known Piper's group, I could already tell who likes each other. Like, there's Piper and Jason, Hazel and Frank, and Leo and Calypso. They would all be cute together, in my opinion.

"I don't!"

"Whatever you say."

She held her face in her hands. "Can we please not talk about this?"

I grinned. "I'll stop when you stop."

"Fine! Truce?" She held out her hand.

I shook it. "Truce."

"Good." She wiped her palms on her jeans, which was probably unnecessary. My hands weren't _that_ sweaty.

"So," I folded my hands in my lap. "Tell me about yourself."

She smiled, but I noticed something in her eyes. Almost like...fear. "Well, I was born and raised in little old Cali, here. I sometimes travel around a lot due to certain...circumstances, but those are only for short periods of time." I raised an eyebrow, but didn't question. "I met Leo in kindergarten, Jason and Reyna in the second grade, Frank and Hazel in the fourth, and Luke and Calypso in the seventh."

"Tell me about them." I mimicked.

She smiled and started telling me all about how she loves Leo like a younger brother, and how he is very hyper and really good at making stuff. Piper mentioned his tough childhood, and how he is now residing with Piper, because she apparently, "Has a lot of room." I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but she never gave me enough time to ask. She then started describing everyone else for the next hour, or so, and before long, class has already ended.

"I'll see you at lunch..?" Piper asked.

"Yeah." I didn't really have anywhere else to sit, anyways. After being introduced to Piper's group, I didn't bother trying to make anymore friends. They were sufficient enough.

"Bye!" She called over her shoulder.

"Bye." As I started heading towards my Math classroom, someone fell into step with me.

"Where're you headed?" I looked to my right, and saw none other than Luke Castellan. My cheeks warmed a bit, when remembering the conversation I had with Percy before. Gods. It's not like I have a crush on Luke, or anything. I'll admit, I might've had one, back in the sixth grade, but not now. _Just keep telling yourself that, Chase. _

"Second period, Math." I managed to say, while weaving through the crowd.

"With..?" His blue eyes shone with mischievousness, like the Stolls'. Well, it makes sense since they _are_ cousins, after all.

"Ms. Johnson." My voice got back to normal, now. Gods. How much longer until I arrive at my classroom? All these bodies in the hall are starting to make me claustrophobic. Luke being right next to me, doesn't help that much, either.

He nodded with enthusiasm. "Cool. I have that too."

My eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Odd. I never noticed you there, the past few days." Surely I would've noticed. Luke isn't typically the type to just stay and hide in the corner. He makes his presence known, one way or the other.

He grinned. "That's because I switched courses. Art wasn't really cutting out for me, so I switched it to Drama. That caused a whole mess of things, so here I am!" He somehow spread out his arms, probably hitting a few people too.

I held in a snort. "Drama should be good for you." We arrived at our classroom, but our class was just waiting outside. The teacher wasn't here yet, most likely. I didn't see Frank and Hazel in the crowd, so that meant more time talking to Luke. I wasn't sure if that's a good thing or a bad.

Luke smirked. "I am a natural for the theatre." He even mock fainted, putting a hand to his forehead.

This time, I actually snorted. "Naturally dramatic."

He put both hands to his heart. "You wound me, Annabeth. You should know by now that that's Thalia's thing."

My mood somewhat sobered. I miss Thalia, and all of my other friends. Just hearing their names saddens me. _It's not permanent, _I thought. _You'll see them again. _"Don't let her hear that. She'll gut you in your sleep, and then spread your organs everywhere. Probably smashing them to oblivion, while at it."

His nose scrunched up, and _no_. That did not make him adorable, like a little puppy. "Ugh. Mental image. I'd like to keep my organs and stuff _inside_ my body, not outside where it's all exposed and useless."

I laughed. "Then don't insult Thalia."

He grinned cheekily at me. "But she's not here to hear it, now is she?"

"No, _but_ she has her contacts, and could probably pull a few strings." I raised an eyebrow, daring him.

Luke's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"She's my best friend. I would."

"I'm your best friend too!"

"Well..." I paused, pretending to think about it.

"I am right?" His blue eyes pleaded with me, and my subconscious desperately wished that it was green. But, what am I thinking? Percy isn't here. Luke is.

My resolve crumbled. "Fine. I won't tell her." Luke's face started to break into a smile, but, I couldn't let him go that easily. "But," his face turned into panic mode, again. "You owe me a favor."

"I'll do anything. Just tell me what it is. I'll get down on my knees, if you want."

"Ugh, no. That's not necessary. Your favour will be cashed in. Eventually." My vague answer was enough to get him back into panic-attack.

"Just nothing too embarrassing, okay?"

I sighed. "Fine."

He grinned. "Good." At that moment, Frank and Hazel decided that it would be a marvelous time to show up. The teacher still hadn't shown up, though. Gods. Where is she?

"Hey guys." Frank greeted.

"Where's the teacher?" Hazel asked.

Luke shrugged. "I don't know."

As if on cue, Ms. Johnson appeared. "Sorry for making you guys wait. The photocopier jammed up, and the papers were just _so_ uncooperative. Don't even get me started on the traffic-" Her voice grew fainter and she entered the classroom. I looked over at Luke and saw that he was fighting a laugh. I wasn't that much better. After getting seated, our teacher gave us worksheets to work on, while she "does other errands." Geez. It's only the first week of school, that's clearly not enough time to get _that_ disorganized.

Hazel turned to face me. "So you and Luke, huh?"

I felt my cheeks reddening. "What about Luke and I?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You know what I mean. Spill."

I sighed. "Gods. You're just like Piper."

Hazel beamed. "And you're changing the subject." Darn it. "By the way, thank you. Now tell me. What's going on between you and Luke?"

"Nothing is going on. We're just friends."

Our teacher shushed the class, which was starting to get a bit loud. "Sure you are," Hazel whispered.

"We are!" I whisper-exclaimed.

She sarcastically nodded her head, but nevertheless stayed quiet. I very discretely turned my head to look at the clock, also very conveniently located where Luke sat. His eyes met mine, and lingered for a second longer, before he mouthed, "Help."

I nearly snorted, but I resisted. It kind of reminded me of when Percy always asks for help. Although, he adds a little pout, and pleading eyes to go along with it. I could never say no, but with Luke, I managed.

I shrugged. "Sorry," I mouthed back. He pouted a little bit, but still turned his head back to his sheet. Geez. It wasn't even that hard. We were just learning about area and volume, and stuff like that. This stuff was easy. But, I'm sure that Hades would eventually break loose later on.

After solving about half of the questions, which was actually pretty good considering the fact that I got restless, and my dyslexia acted up again, the bell rang. I packed up my stuff, and met Hazel, Frank, and Luke outside.

"Ready?" Luke asked, even if it was completely unnecessary. I just nodded my head. We made our way down the stairs, and Luke's arm kept brushing mine every once in a while.

"Why's your face red?" Jason asked me, as we got seated. I tried ignoring the fact that Luke was sitting _right_ next to me. I also tried ignoring Hazel's smirk from across the table.

"No reason." I managed to say, without squeaking.

He glanced at me for a second longer, before shrugging his shoulders, and mumbling an, "Okay." I sighed an inaudible sigh of relief before turning to my lunch.

"Hey," Luke bumped my shoulder. His arm was hard-muscle-y, not hard-boney. It was definitely different from when Percy bumps my shoulder. "What are you doing this weekend?"

I thought about it. "Nothing much. Homework, studying, things like that."

"You want to hang out with our friends, and I this weekend? We're going bowling."

"Seriously? Bowling?" I questioned.

"Please?" He started pouting.

After a couple of minutes, I sighed. "Fine."

His eyes lit up to a sort-of lighter blue. I searched his eyes, desperately wishing to see some green there too. "Cool." He turned back to his food, and I did the same.

Throughout the day, thoughts surrounding my new-made friends filled my mind. More specifically, Luke. I was only in Grade 9, dating shouldn't be an issue until, at least, Grade 10 or 11. But Luke, he was different. Back in the sixth grade, I might've had a teensy-crush on him, but it eventually faded over time. Although, now that's he's back in the picture, I don't know how to feel, anymore. I mean, he's kind, he's respectful, he's funny, he's good-looking, he's basically anything a girl would want in a future boyfriend. But, is he worth it? I'm leaving in a year. Is it worth the heartbreak that would inevitably occur?

As I got ready for bed, later that day, I finally had an answer. _Yes. Yes, it's worth it._

* * *

**Ech. Sorry for the Lukabeth. It was necessary for this story, okay! And sorry that they are moving kind of fast. Usually, that irks me, but I had to have the whole Annabeth-in-San Francisco- thing move along. Also, sorry for the awkward-ness. It's already hard writing about fluff, and lovey-dovey feelings, so please excuse this mess. I'm just trying to make the whole love-ness evident! Once again, sorry for the nothing-much-ness happening in this chapter. Anyways, I hope you liked it! **

**Writer432: Thank you! Glad that I made the feels very feel, and got them in character. **

**xXDaughterOfWisdomGoddessXx: Thank you! Once again, glad that I made the feels real. I tried. **

**Crossing the Galaxy 22: Although, the Blood of Olympus was still kind of the end...Thank you, though!**

**Gest101: Aww. Thanks for saying I'm funny! I try. **

**Turquoise Crystal: Hmm. I never actually thought of that. Maybe...Probably...Now, most likely...**

** DauntlessDemigod: It's okay. I'm just glad that people review of their own free will. And thanks! Sorry for somehow making you cry...The chapter wasn't intended to be sad.**

**Ellz - Goddess of Fish: It's only now that I realize how ironic it is. Are you fangirling because of your name connection? **

**iamawesome237: Thank you! And it's okay to ramble. I do that all the time. **

**spiesareawesome: Maybe...I mean, someone probably ought to point that out, one way or another. And don't worry. Everyone loves Leo. It's sort of inevitable. But, you know, you just can't mess up Caleo! They're beautiful. **

**Guest13: Thank you! And don't worry. That was the intended plan. **

**imaagine4ever: Thank you! And don't worry, I don't plan on abandoning this story anytime soon, or ever, as a matter of fact. I already have the whole ending planned out, so I'm determined to meet it! **

**BookNuts: Thank you!**

**Ally1331**

**Divine Protector of Mangos**

**HippieGal101**

**MyLittleBigBangSwitchAtOlympus**

**PapaCurt**

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**XxThalicoRULZxX**

**Kraylome27**


	13. Chapter 13

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN! What were you guys? I was a gender-bent Nico. A lot of people so far were either Annabeth or Hazel, and then there's me. Nico. (No offence to any Annabeth's or Hazel's out there.) Okay, I just wanted to clear something up. I know that you guys hate Lukabeth, _I_ even hate it, if it's in a romantic sense, but it's necessary for the story! I'll try to make their relationship go by a bit quickly, and make it not that adorable and I'll still reference to Percabeth, but could you guys at least tolerate it for the sake of this story? *pouts* Please? And, also, I warned at the beginning of the story that Percabeth will take a long time. By long, I mean that they could be adult(ish), and still not be together. This means that they _will_ be seeing other people, and dating other people, so if you could at least tolerate that, then thank you! If not, please? I'm sorry if I'm sounding rude, but please? Also, I will still add in a little Percabeth friendship here and there, even if they are with other people. You'll see an example of this, in this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. I also don't own Baskin' Robins. *sighs* **

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

(Annabeth's POV)

The first thing that hit me was the loud noise. Some modern-day pop music sung by some random singer I didn't know the name of, and personally, didn't care of, blared through the speakers of the bowling alley. I could barely hear my own thoughts.

"You okay?" Luke screamed in my ear. I shivered a bit when I felt his breath. Knowing that he wouldn't have heard me either way, I nodded. I looked around and saw groups of all ages sitting around, bowling. There was a more quiet and reserved area to my left, probably for younger ages, or booked parties.

"We're heading over to lane number eight." Piper yelled in my other ear. Gods. I'm going to get deaf by the time these three hours of bowling are over. Yeah. They bowl for _that_ long.

"You want me to get your shoes?" Luke asked. I nodded. "Size Six, right?"

I shook my head. "Seven!" I screamed. He winced. Whoops.

"Geez, Annie." He poked his ear. "I think you're making me deaf."

I rolled my eyes. "You weren't any better, now shoo." I waved him away. With one last look, he walked away. I headed towards Lane Eight, and saw the rest of the gang already there, entering their names into the computer.

I looked at it confusedly. "Sparky? Beauty Queen?"

Piper looked over at me. "It's our nicknames." She continued on before I could utter a single word. "Since only six people are allowed to play at a time, three people would have to sit off. Hazel, Frank, and Reyna volunteered."

I nodded. "Okay..."

"What do you want to be called?" Leo asked. I raised an eyebrow. "For the screen."

"Annabeth is fine."

He shook his head, and made a clucking sound. "No, silly. You just can't use your original name for the game. It defeats the purpose."

"I agree," Piper added. "You must use a nickname."

"How 'bout Annie?" Luke asked, handing me my shoes.

I shoved him, and then started putting on my shoes. "Hades no. Wise Girl is fine."

Piper nodded. "It suits you." She then turned back to the group. "Okay peoples." The group looked at her. "We're doing boys vs. girls."

"But that's not fair!" Leo protested.

"Yeah!" Jason added. "There are five girls and four boys. Plus you have Reyna."

Reyna gave him a pointed look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jason had the grace to look scared. "Uh-um-you-you're good at bowling?" It sounded like a question.

Piper smirked at Leo and Jason, ignoring his and Reyna's banter. "Scared?"

Leo gave her a wavering grin. "In your dreams, Beauty Queen."

"Losers buy ice cream for the winners," Piper announced. "Any oppositions?" No one objected. "Good." She then whispered in my ear, "Oh, they are so going down. Prepare yourself for free ice cream."

I bit my lip to refrain from laughing. I looked at the screen, and it now read BeautyQueen, FlaminValdez, IslandGirl, ScarFace, Sparky, and WiseGirl. I guess they arranged it in alphabetical order.

"Flaming Valdez and Island Girl?" I questioned once again.

"Leo and Calypso." Jason answered.

"Bad Boy Supreme was too long, so I had to settle with that." Leo sighed.

"Am I ever going to get the back-story behind these names?" I asked, ignoring Leo's unnecessary side-comment.

Piper grinned. "Maybe one day. Just not today."

"Beauty Queen. You're up." Leo announced. She got up, picked up a ball, and bowled. Piper got five pins down on her first try, and three on her second.

"Beat that, Valdez." Piper bumped her hip with Leo's.

He smirked. "Just watch, Cake Face." I was a little confused at that statement. I doubt that Piper ever wore that much make-up, so as to be called a caked face. It seems as if she hardly touched a make-up kit in her life.

Piper's nose scrunched up. "Ugh. Don't call me that. It doesn't even make much sense."

"None of our nicknames do." Frank pointed out.

"Shut it, Chinese Baby-Man." Leo retorted. Frank closed his mouth. "Now," Leo cracked his knuckles. "Just watch the master and be amazed." Leo pointed at Calypso and winked. "This one's for you, Island Girl." Calypso's face contorted into one of disgust. Leo picked up a ball, that was probably way too heavy, swung his arm out, with some difficulty, and released the ball. It went into the gutter.

Piper clapped with mock cheer. "That was absolutely amazing, Leo."

Calypso laughed. "Gee thanks. I always wanted a gutter-ball dedicated to me."

Leo smiled, genuinely. Way different from his usual mischievous one. "Anything for you, Callie." Leo tried again and managed six pins. Calypso went up next and knocked down eight.

Leo whistled. "That's my girl!"

She glared at him. "I am _not_ your girl."

He winked. "Not yet, anyways."

She shuddered. "Uh, no thank you."

"Fine," Leo put an arm around Reyna, which was a bit awkward, considering the fact that she's taller than him. "I'll just have Rey-Rey."

Reyna sighed, and twisted Leo's arm behind his back. "One, don't call me Rey-Rey. Two, don't touch me. Three, don't treat me, or any girl, like some object that you can possess. Got that?" She practically growled into his ear.

Leo squeaked, and nodded his head. Reyna released his arm, and Leo rubbed it in pain. I have a feeling that that wasn't the first time Leo did that. "Geez Reyna. It was only a joke."

She looked at him with a cold expression. "Sure Valdez."

"Anyways!" Leo said cheerfully, as if nothing happened. "Scarry," Luke looked up, and I held in a snort. Scarry suit him _very_ well. "You're up. Meanwhile, _I_ will go get some nachos." Piper cheered.

"Just don't drop them, or eat them all on your way back here, alright?" Jason warned.

He smirked. "No promises." And then he left.

"Remember the extra cheese!" Piper yelled at his retreating back. He waved back, in an _I got this_, way.

On his way over to the rack of bowling balls, Luke passed by and whispered in my ear, "This one's for you." I raised an eyebrow at his retreating back, and silently wished that it wouldn't be another gutter ball. He managed to get nine pins down.

"I guess I'm some sort of good luck, huh?" I questioned.

He grinned. "I guess so." Our little moment, if you would call it that, was interrupted by Jason getting up and bowling. He got a spare.

Luke cheered for him. He then looked at me. "You're up, Annie. Good luck."

I glared at him. "Don't call me that." He just winked. I walked over to the bowling rack, and picked up one of the lighter balls. I lifted it up, swung my arm back, and released the ball. I managed a strike.

Piper whooped. "Oh my gods. Prepare your wallets, boys. I'm thinking that Annabeth here would want some sprinkles along with her ice cream." I laughed, trying to tone down the blush on my cheeks.

Leo arrived, with a nacho hanging from his mouth, when he saw an X right next to my name. "No-no. That's not possible."

I smirked. "It's very possible. Oh, and please shut your mouth. That nacho better not fall in with the rest. You still have to share it, you know." I bowled again and managed seven pins.

Leo glared at me, which wasn't all that intimidating. "Looks like we've got some competition, boys. We better step our game up."

Hazel rose an eyebrow. "Maybe you shouldn't have let them down in the first place."

Leo's mouth got wider, if even possible. "And Little Shy Girl over here is even contributing to the conversation." He waved his hands around in a vague manner. Thank the gods that he already put down the nachos, or else he would've dropped them by now. That would be a shame. "Today is just a day full of odd occurrences, huh? Next thing you know, werewolves would appear, and unicorns would fart rainbows."

Reyna's nose scrunched up. "Ugh. You better not be jinxing it."

After she already finished bowling for the second round, Piper put an arm around my shoulder, and side-hugged me. "You, my friend, are amazing. Thanks to you, the boys won't have a chance in the future. Have you thought of joining any sports?"

I thought about it. "Probably not. You know, concentrating on my studies, and whatnot."

She nodded in understanding, and then suddenly squealed. "If we're in the same gym class next semester, I _cannot _wait to have you on my side. Partners, right?"

Her kaleidoscope eyes were pleading at me, and I just couldn't say _no_. "Fine."

"What about us?" Calypso asked.

Piper stuck her tongue out at her. "Well, Hazel and Reyna have it this semester, so you're on your own. Sucks to suck."

Calypso pouted, but then Leo put a 'comforting' arm around her. "Aww. It's okay, Callie. You'll always have me."

She rolled her eyes, but I still caught the faintest trace of a smile. "Gym class is divided by gender. You couldn't be my partner, even if I wanted you to."

He grinned. "That's alright! I'd pretend to be a girl, if you'd want."

Her smile became prominent now, but she still gently removed his arm from her shoulder. "I appreciate the concern, but that wouldn't be necessary. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's my turn."

She turned away, probably not hearing Leo's sigh. "You're excused."

After a minute of Leo staring at Calypso's back, Piper leaned and said in his ear, "Oh, you're screwed."

"W-what?" Leo spluttered.

She beamed at him. "Oh nothing. You're just head over heels in love with Calypso. No biggy." I covered up a smirk by stuffing a nacho in my mouth. I felt like I was intruding a little bit, but oh well. I'm pretty sure the whole group heard them anyways. Well, everyone except for Calypso who somehow managed to do something wrong, and then this worker had to come along and try to fix whatever problem there was.

Leo turned a very flattering shade of red. "Pipes, I'm only fourteen. That's not clearly an old enough age to 'be in love.'"

She smirked. "At least, not yet." Before Leo could come up with an excuse, Piper yelled over to Calypso, "Yo, Island Girl! What did you manage to break this time?"

Calypso turned around. "It's not my fault!"

Piper snorted. "Yeah sure. Tell that to the previous five times we've been bowling."

"Hey," Calypso pointed at Hazel. "The last time was her fault."

Hazel looked up from her _very_ intriguing conversation with Frank and Reyna. "What? What'd I miss."

Frank sighed. "Calypso, pointing is rude."

Reyna seemed to notice the worker, and then she gave Calypso a pointed look. "What did you do this time."

Piper pointed a finger at Calypso. "Ha!"

"Pipes, what did Frank say? Pointing is rude" Jason said sternly.

"But Jase," Piper tilted her head to the side, in an innocent manner. "I thought that you were on my side?"

Jason's eyes glazed over. "Oh-umm."

"I see that speaking isn't your greatest skill." I observed, snapping him out his daze.

"Oh no," Luke added. "Here is our old elementary school's greatest debate person. It's just when it comes to Piper that he gets all tongue-tied."

I nodded. "Uh huh. I can see that." I watched Jason give a stuttered reply to Piper, as she fought back a grin.

"It's fixed!" Calypso cheered.

"Thank you, sir." Hazel told the man, Vulcan, his name tag read.

"No problem." He replied, with a nod. I sent him a small smile. To be honest, he was a bit intimidating.

Leo rubbed his hands together. "Now we can get this show on the road."

After another hour, this game was finally complete. I guess I can see why they would need three hours to bowl. All the mishaps, and distractions took up a good portion. The girls were winning by around 10 points. Leo changed the names in the screen, and added MetaDetector, ChinBabyMan, and ReyRey. I'm guessing that now is the only time that she'd allow people to use that nickname.

"Meta Detector and Chin Baby Man?" These names are really messing me up, now.

"Meta is short for Metal, and that's Hazel. Chin is short for Chinese, and that's Frank." Piper's eyebrows scrunched up. "Hopefully I don't sound racist by saying that. We had to shorten their names in order for it to fit." I nodded. Leo continued adding in the names, until there was only one slot left.

"Okay," Leo announced. "The three people who came last in this match will play with the people who sat off. That will me, Calypso, and either Luke or Piper, since they tied. They will determine the loser through an intense game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, best two out of three. Begin."

"Does he always exaggerate everything?" I asked Reyna.

She looked at me, but not coldly like she normally does. "Most of the time, yeah." I nodded.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors." Piper and Luke said in unison. Piper won with Rock.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors." Luke won with Scissors.

"And it's another tie! This match is getting heated. Who will win this game? Piper? Or Luke? Only the next round will tell." Leo said in an announcers voice.

Reyna turned back to me. "I take back what I said earlier. It's yes. He does exaggerate everything." I snorted, and looked back at Piper and Luke. Who knew that a harmless game of Rock, Paper, Scissors could be so intense?

"Rock, Paper, Scissors."

"And Piper wins with Paper!" Leo paused. "Huh. It's only know that I realize how weird that sounds. Piper, paper. Piper, paper. Piper, paper. Pipe-"

Piper cut him off. "Okay, Leo, we get it." Leo obediently shut his mouth, and then went back to the computer, to add in Luke's name. Piper then turned to Luke. "Sorry, but you'd have to bowl again." I wondered how that was a bad thing. If she lost, then wouldn't we get more points..? I soon learned the answer to my question, as I watched the next match. More particularly, Reyna. She was literally on fire. Strike after strike after strike, with the occasional spare. It was mesmerizing.

Around half-way through the match, Leo stood up. "That's it. I can't watch this, anymore. I will get more nachos."

"But it's your turn, soon." Frank pointed out.

"Someone else can take my turn!" Leo then walked away. Once it was Hazel's turn, something else went wrong. The sweeper-thing that sweeps the pins away, and replaces it with new ones got jammed, and Vulcan had to fix it again.

"See!" Calypso exclaimed. "It's not only my fault!"

Piper sighed. "But it's easier to blame you. Hazel here is just too innocent to blame. I mean, look at this!" Piper squeezed Hazel's cheeks. She squirmed a bit, probably very uncomfortable with all the attention. "You can't blame this! She's like a little bunny."

"Uh, okay?" Hazel's cheeks tinted with red.

"Piper stop. You're making the poor girl uncomfortable." Frank said.

Piper hesitantly put her hand down. "Right. Sorry."

"Then what am I?" Calypso asked.

"You, Callie," Leo suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Are a jalapeño."

After a minute of thinking, Calypso started blushing heavily. "Valdez!"

He looked up innocently at her. "Yes, Calypso?"

Her breathing became heavier, and her fists started clenching. "Gods, when I am done with you, not even the gods above can-"

"It's fixed." Vulcan announced. I saw Leo mouth a 'thank you' at him, and he smiled very discretely in return.

Calypso pointed a threatening finger at Leo. "This is not over, Valdez."

He smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it." After another uneventful hour and a half, three games already passed by. Our team, the girls, won by a whopping 30 points.

Piper cheered, while the rest of us just clapped. "Ice-cream time!"

After returning our shoes, we walked towards the mall, that was attached to the bowling alley. Luke was walking right next to me, and I blushed whenever our arms brushed against each other. We arrived at Baskin' Robbins, a few minutes later. Thankfully, it wasn't too busy, otherwise we would probably "disturb the peace" with our loudness and bickering.

"Okay," Piper addressed the group. "The boys will go buy our ice-creams, and us girls will go find a booth."

Jason sighed. "Fine."

We separated, and luckily for us, there was an available booth located near the back, all isolated away from everyone. The boys came with our delicacies a few minutes later. I stood up, allowing them to sit down further in.

"Here you go." Luke handed me a vanilla ice-cream, with sprinkles. "Your favorite, right?"

I smiled up at him, not having the heart to tell him otherwise. Today I was really in the mood for Mint Chocolate Chip. It reminds me of Percy. "Thank you." I took the ice-cream from him, and our hands brushed.

He grinned back. "No problem." I saw that he got chocolate. We sat down, and I was located on the edge.

"Great job today, Annabeth," Piper told me.

"Yeah. You were amazing." I blushed at Luke's comment.

"I was okay. But, did you see Reyna, though?" I looked over at her. "You were incredible."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Yeah," Leo cut in. "But, we expected that from her. You know, what with all of her sports awards, and whatnot, bowling doesn't come as a surprise."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really, now?"

She just took a bite out of her ice-cream. World Class Chocolate. "It's not that big of a deal."

I was about to retort, but a vibration in my pocket stopped me. Piper picked up my slack, though. I took out my phone, and saw a text from Percy.

_**Percy: Heyy! :)**_

I smiled. I took a picture of my ice-cream, and sent it to him.

_**Annabeth: You jelly?**_

_**Percy: Vanilla? Really?**_

I took a bite out of my treat.

_**Annabeth: What's so bad about vanilla?**_

_**Percy: It's bland. **_

_**Annabeth: There was sprinkles!**_

_**Percy: Blaannnndddddd!**_

_**Annabeth: Besides, Luke gave it to me. **_

_**Percy: Then he's bland. **_

I smiled, but was still silently thankful at the fact that Percy decided not to tease about Luke buying me something.

"Who are you texting?" Luke asked.

"Percy," I replied, deciding to not acknowledge his close proximity.

"Oh! Tell him that I say 'Hi!'" Luke exclaimed.

_**Annabeth: Luke says hi. **_

_**Percy: Ooh! Tell him I say hi, back.**_

"Percy says hi," I told Luke.

"Ask him 'How's it going?'"

_**Annabeth: Luke is wondering how's it going. **_

_**Percy: It's going fine. Ask, what about him?**_

I decided to ignore Percy's question. "Percy's fine." Whatever response Luke gave back, I didn't hear.

_**Annabeth: Well, if you two are done flirting...**_

_**Percy: We aren't flirting!**_

I snorted.

_**Annabeth: Sure. Next thing you know, you'll be asking if he's free this Friday night. **_

_**Percy: Annabeth!**_

_**Annabeth: What? **_

_**Percy: Stop teasing me about my love life!**_

_**Percy: Besides, I don't have a crush on Luke. Now you, however...**_

_**Annabeth: Percy! **_

_**Percy: Yes Annabeth dear? **_

_**Annabeth: Stop. **_

_**Percy: You stop. **_

_**Annabeth: I'll stop when you stop.**_

_**Percy: Fine. Truce? **_

_**Annabeth: Truce. **_

_**Percy: Besides, u know I'll only flirt wth u. ;P**_

I raised an eyebrow at my screen.

_**Percy: OH MY GODS! I'M SO SORRY, WISE GIRL! Please ignore the last comment. Thalia stole my phone. **_

_**Percy: I'm sorry. **_

_**Percy: Please forgive me? *pouts***_

I laughed, knowing that Percy wouldn't flirt. He just _can't_ flirt. He's literally incapable of doing such a thing.

"Do you need a moment?" Piper's voice tore my eyes away from my screen. It was only then that I remembered that I was in public. I wasn't alone. Whoops.

I looked at her, with a small grin on my face, my ice-cream long forgotten. I took a bite out of it. "What?"

* * *

**I hope you liked it! If you didn't get what Leo meant by calling Calypso a "jalapeño," he was just saying that she's "hot" basically. Sorry. That's my lame attempt at flirting, or making a character flirty. I don't usually like having characters use "hot" as a term to describe others, but this is Leo. And if I do add it, then it's on purpose. Also, sorry for making Piper say a lot. It's kind of hard having an even amount of dialogue for so many characters. (How do authors do it?) So, yeah. I'm trying. **

**SevenPlaysSoftball: Hmm...Maybe...Probably. Thank you!**

**xXDaughterOfWisdomGoddessXx: It's okay. I'm Percabeth Forever, too (OTP!), and I hate Lukabeth, but it was necessary. Sorry. **

**awesomesauce333: Thank you!**

**FandomsAreMyLife4Ever: Uh...If you're referencing to My Little Pony, I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about that show. I'm sorry. Thank you, though! **

**Gust36: Hmm. Maybe something like that, but not quite. Sorry for the Lukabeth, though. I hope you understand why I had to add it. **

**secret. writer: Thank you! And thanks for understanding. **

**TyberAurora: I'm sorry. It won't be all Luke/Annabeth; that's just a small portion. Although, since I did warn that Percabeth would take a long time, they _would_ be dating other people. Sorry.**

**Abooknerdandproud: Thank you!**

**thelaststop: Thank you! But I'm sorry about the Lukabeth. It was necessary. There will still be references to Percabeth, but they won't actually get together, (yet). **

**PoseidonPrince: I'm sorry. This story won't be M, just telling you. It literally took Percy and Annabeth five books to get together, I'm making them take their time in this story. Lukabeth won't be forever, but if you could tolerate it for several more chapters, then you have my gratitude. (Sorry if I seem rude.) **

**BookNuts: Thank you! But I'm not that awesome. **

**Sweet Cats: Is it normal that I _aww_-ed when I read your review? That idea was just so adorable! Maybe the next chapter will be the letter, but those four/five words might not be on it. Sorry. But that was really cute!**

**LavenderBooks: Thank you!**

**imaagine4ever: Thank you! Although, you might have to wait several more dozens of chapters. I hope you can wait!**

**DauntlessDemigod: Thank you! And I guess that you'd have to wait to find out. I think that friendship-ships are a thing, but I'm not sure. I'm glad that this story somehow makes you happy! Maybe there would be some chapters in a Percy POV, BUT ONLY maybe after the story is over, just as some bonus chapters. **

**spiesareawesome: Caleo_ is_ amazing. Not as amazing as Percabeth, but still pretty amazing. Although, as Leo states, there are plenty of him to go around!**

**Writer432: Thank you! **

**SilverHuntresses: I'm not one either, but if you could at least tolerate it...please? **

**MyWayofWriting**

**VallarMorghulis11**

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**Percy3**

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**Sorry, once again. If I sound rude, or came off as rude, I'm sorry. Those aren't my intentions, I promise! It might just...sound that way. So yeah. Safe trick-or-treating tonight! Or tomorrow...or yesterday..? Time-zones are starting to get confusing. Be safe! And remember all those rules that were taught for Halloween. And if you're going to any Halloween party, not school related, stay safe! Sorry. I just want to enforce all these safety rules. I'm no promoting or advertising anything of any kind. So yeah. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**


	14. Chapter 14

**So, this chapter goes out to DauntlessDemigod and Sweet Cakes for giving the idea of, "Open This When...You have a Crush." **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. Nor do I own _Thor. _(_Thor _is only mentioned. There's no appearance.)**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen **

(Annabeth's POV)

It took one week. One more week of half-hearted banters, unintentional and innocent touches, a couple glances sneaked in every now and then, and pointed looks from pretty much most of my friends, to realize that I had a crush on Luke Castellan. It was pretty much inevitable, for the most part. What with him being all nice, polite, and funny. Not to mention the fact that we had a past. We were friends ever since Kindergarten, and any feelings I might've had with him back then, quickly resurfaced.

This was a great risk, though. Getting involved with someone, with a 99 percent chance of it never working out. But still. I am willing to take this risk. Even if I will, without a doubt, eventually get crushed.

_**Dear Wise Girl, **_

I smiled at the beginning of the next letter from Percy, that I am reading. The, "_Open This When...You Get a Crush." _He even added a little winky face after the title, to which I snorted at.

_**Oh my gods. So it's finally happened huh? Little Annie over here has a wittle cwush? *tilts head to the side in an innocent manner* (Remember: baby voice) **_

I am _not _doing a baby voice, at that.

_**OH MY GODS! It finally hit me. ANNABETH CHASE HAS A CRUSH!**_

I rolled my eyes. No need to repeat it twice. Or three times...?

_***jumps around excitedly* NOW I CAN FINALLY TEASE SOMEONE ABOUT THEIR LOVE LIFE!**_

What about Silena and Beckendorf? You don't tease them.

_**DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW EXCITED THIS MAKES ME FEEL?! I'M ABSOLUTELY FREAKING ESCTATIC! **_

Oh gods. He's going to make my life a living Hades.

_**Hehehehe.*grins* So, **_**Annie...**

Here it comes. I better brace myself.

_**Who's the lucky fellow? *waggles eyebrows***_

For some reason, that just reminded me of Leo.

_**Is he cute? **_

I smirked. Are you interested?

_**Does he have the best-friend seal of approval, yet? I have to meet the guy, you know.**_

You already met him, though. You're already friends with him.

_**I have to make sure that he is worthy of you. **_

I smiled.

_**I have to make sure that he will be good to you, and will treat you right. I **_**need **_**to make sure that he deserves you. **_

_Aww, _Percy!

_**(No one deserves you, to be perfectly honest.)**_

I almost groaned. Not this _again. _

_**I need to know that my Wise Girl will be in safe hands.**_

I raised an eyebrow. _Your _Wise Girl?

_***sniffles* You're growing up so fast! *wipes tear from eye* My little baby is so grown up! *cries* **_

I stifled a laugh. I am _not _your baby.

_**I remember how just yesterday you were like yay-high *waves hand in a vague manner, somewhere below my waist***_

I snorted.

_**wearing little pig-tails, and gods. You were so adorable as a little kid!**_

_Were, _huh? As in, past-tense?

_**Yes, past-tense. I prefer you back when you were a child. You were less sassy and sarcastic. You didn't comment so much on my "Seaweed Brain-ness" then, as you do now. The teasing was a minimum too. **_

Gee, thanks Percy. You make me feel _so _loved.

_**Remember how awkward we were when we first met? **_

Ugh. No need to remind me.

_**We were all like, "'Hi,' 'Hi.'" *cue awkward and tense silence and staring* Ah. Good times. Good times. Although, eventually, we got used to each other, and got more comfortable. (Does that sound a bit wrong? Oh well. If it does, I'm sorry.)**_

I rolled my eyes.

_**Anyways! In other news, who is this guy you **_**looooovvvvveee?**

Percy! I don't love him!

_**With a capital-L? Or is it a girl? Because, if it was, I totally understand, and I accept it. You're still my best-friend, either way. Your feelings don't make a difference. Unless, of course, you start ditching me, and leaving me in the dust, **_**then **_**we have a problem. With both the guy and the girl. **_

My cheeks burned a bit. I appreciate the acceptance, but I do not like girls in _that _sense.

_**For the sake of confusion, let's just say that it's a guy. **_

Of _course, _it's just for "confusion."

_**Let me just warn you now, if he turns out to be this dirty, cheating, lying, scumbag who doesn't respect you, and treats you horribly, then just tell me, alright? You can trust me. **_

I smiled. I already know that, Percy.

_**I'll teach that son of a Gaea a little lesson. No one hurts my Wise Girl! No one! They better not touch you, ever again. If they even look at you a certain way, or breathe the same air as you then they are done for. **_

_Woah _there, Percy. A little extreme, don't you think?

_**Okay, I'll leave all this protective-talk for later. Once you actually start dating your love of your life.**_

_Percy!_

_**Now, back to all the light-hearted talk. What's his name? I need to make you guys a ship name. Silena can help. **_

I think you're starting to let out your little Aphrodite-child, Percy. I didn't know you had it in you.

_**What does he look like? I'll draw you some fan art. Like this: **_

I snorted. Below that message, Percy included this drawing of a "female" stick figure, wearing a triangular dress, and random squiggles that was supposed to be hair. He drew two dots and a semi-circle as a face, and labeled it "Annabeth." To the right of the girl figure, there was another stick figure, that pretty much looked the exact same, except for the hair and clothes. The drawing lacked, in both of those areas. He labeled the figure "Annabeth's love of her life."

_**Amazing isn't it? I'll also make you guys FanFictions. Nothing M or R, I promise. **_

I doubt that you could write a kissing scene, much less _that _stuff. You're too innocent, oblivious, naive, and ignorant.

_**Just little mindless fluff...probably. There might some tragedy and hurt/comfort. All of that good stuff. **_

Good stuff?! In what world is that good?!

_**I can make a guest appearance too! You know that random, blurry person in the background corner of your television, that is so indistinguishable, that you couldn't tell which gender it is? I'll be that person. **_

Wow Percy. Nice to see how you think _so_ highly of yourself.

_**All of our friends could make an appearance too! This story will be absolutely amazing, Annabeth. Without a doubt. The grammar would be horrible, and the storyline too! **_

Uh, no thank you, Percy. You don't have to go through all that trouble.

_***rubs hands together in an evil-like-mastermind-type way* Oh, this will be fun. *cue maniacal laughter in the background* **_

I rolled my eyes.

_***cue hacking sound* I'm good. All good. *coughs* *coughs violently again* How do bad guys do this? How do their voices not get all...weird when they laugh all evilly? Geez. The life of a bad guy is tough. I'd much rather be the good guy. The evil laugh isn't required and necessary. **_

I'm pretty sure you'd play the good guy, anyways. It's just not in your nature to be mean and bad.

_**Although, I feel sorry for the bad guys. They get no love. Only hate. (Except for maybe Loki in the movie **_**Thor**_**. Everybody loves that guy!) **_

It's because he's freaking amazing. Duh.

_**And, I get that they all have back-stories, and reasons for these horrible acts, and that their life is horribly tragic one way or the other, but still. That's no excuse for doing these...things. *sighs* Why is life so complicated? Why can't life be this nice world, where everything is all fluff and rainbows? Why can't we just all be **_**happy?**

Because, then, what's the point of life if it's all peaceful and safe? How will we _learn?_ We learn through our mistakes, right? If we make none, then we wouldn't be able to mature as human beings.

_**Everyone deserves happiness. Even those bad guys. (If they are truly sorry for their acts, and change for the better, and whatnot.) Everyone deserves their happy ending. **_**You **_**deserve a happy ending. **_

Not this _again. _

_**Where were we before? *scratches head* Oh right. Your love of your life. You still never told me his name. **_

Well, you never exactly gave me _time. _

_**Quick question. I'm the best man, right? If not that, then at least let me be the ring-bearer. **_

_Gods, _Percy. How many times do I need to say (err...think) this? We. Are. Not. Getting. Married. I doubt that we would even work out. Besides, you'd be too old to be the ring-bearer.

_**Even if I'm in my eighties, I would still drag my old butt down there, with a cane, or wheelchair, or whatnot, and get those rings down**__** to the lovely couple. (AKA, you and that other person.) I will do whatever it takes, and nothing will stop me. **_

_Okay_ then, Percy. I appreciate the dedication you have towards me, but really, you don't need to do that.

_**If worse comes to worst, I'm at least invited to the wedding, right? Come on, Wise Girl. You need your best friend there with you! **_

What kind of best friend would I be if I don't invite you to my wedding? I'd be a pretty horrible one.

_**Well, I'll leave all this talk about your wedding, for that specific letter. The, "**_**Open This When...You are Getting Married!**_**"**_

There's a letter for that?! Geez...

_**Yes I'm prepared, Annabeth. Don't doubt my abilities. I am perfectly capable of being neat and organized. **_

I snorted. Yeah, _sure. _

_**I just choose not to, when it comes to school. Aren't I just the best student ever? (Well, technically, that's you, but oh well.) **_

Gee. Thanks Percy. Although, I'm not _that _great.

_**Anyways! *coughs awkwardly* Moving on!**_

I laughed. When are you ever _not_ awkward?

_**Once again, no little Annabeth's running around, alright?**_

_Percy!_

_**I'm sure that you'll be an amazing mother, and whatnot, but it's too soon. Remember, studies first, then friends, then food...Wait no. Food, **_**then **_**friends. That's better. Dating could come 50th or 100th, or something. **_

Or something...

_**No slacking off, now!**_

I know.

_**I expect you to be a **_**summa cum laude**_**, and to graduate with honours, and a whole bunch of awards. Then you could go to Harvard, get the job of your dreams **_

I sighed, a bit dreamily. _Architecture..._

_**(Yes. Architecture. I know), travel the world, **_

I sighed again. _Athens... _I always wanted to go to Greece.

_**and then basically live a long and happy life. **_

I shook myself out of my daze. Woah there, Percy. A little too high of an expectation, don't you think? I wish that I could achieve all that, but I seriously doubt that I can.

_**You can do it, Annabeth! I have faith in you. You just need to...wait for it...BELIEVE! **_

It's not my lack of belief in myself that's the issue, it's reality.

_**I believe in you, Annabeth. I don't call you Wise Girl for nothing!**_

_And _it's also the fact that I'd probably kill you if you call me anything else. Wise Girl is an exception.

_**Remember, if we were demigods, you'd be a child of Athena, without a doubt. What with your smart-ness, and wise-ness, and strategy-ness, and...book-ness...**_

Wise-ness? Strategy-ness? _Book-ness_? Well, Percy. I think your Seaweed Brain-_ness_ has reached an all-new level! Congratulations! I didn't think you had it in you.

_**You're intelligent, okay? Got that clear? We're good? Good? Good. Okay. Okay...**_

_And _now you're talking to yourself. Great. Just, great.

_**Back to the original topic! ANNABETH HAS A CRUSH! **_

You are _still _on that?

_**Gods. It still hasn't hit me yet. **_

Maybe because when you were writing this letter, I never had a crush yet...? It's just a thought. Just merely an observation.

_**Prepare yourself for the teasing. It's going to get ruthless. **_

I felt like smacking my head against the wall. Why? Why me? What did I do to deserve this?

_**Hehehe. Now I'm excited. What's his name?! I'm getting impatient over here, Annabeth! **_

Once again, you. never. gave. me. time. Calm yourself Percy.

_**You're just lucky that I'm not already figuring out your baby's name, and what they look like. That's Silena's job. Although, I'm in strong favour for Percy (wink, wink), but of course, it's your decision. *sniffles* If you don't choose Percy, then I'm okay with that. **_

Good. It wasn't on the potential list, anyways.

_***sniffles again* It's your choice. But, I swear, if you name it Nico, or Thalia, or any of our other friends, then I will be irked. Irked beyond repair. Think carefully about this, Annabeth. It's your call. **_

Gods, Percy. I'm probably not going to name my child after one of my friends. Well, maybe...if it's a nice name...like Hazel. Hazel's nice.

_**Anyways! (I'm using that word a lot now, huh? **_

Not really. Maybe only three or four times.

_**Oh well.) So, you have a crush, huh? **_

Yes. I have a crush. When are you going to accept that?

_**Be careful, alright? I don't want you to get hurt. It's not just infatuation, right? You **_**truly**_** like them, for them? **_

I think so...

_**I don't want you to fall for someone, and they won't catch you. Think about it like this, is this person you like, someone that you'd want to marry one day? Someone that you want kids, with? Someone who you could spend the rest of your life, with? And you'd be happy? **_

Maybe...But, Percy, I'm only a teenager. We're supposed to not think about commitment and marriage and whatnot.

_**And you wouldn't have any regrets? There'd be no "what if's" or "what could have been's?" I don't want you to think back to a decision you made ten years ago and think what could've been different if you did something differently. I don't want you to think about how you could've fallen in love with someone else, if you were late to your bus stop. Or if you explored more places. Do you know who you would meet? What could've changed? If you had just given a chance to someone, and they blow your mind away? **_

Well, this letter just went from light-hearted to deep in a matter of minutes.

_**But, alas, we only live in one time strand, when there could've been millions of threads attached to one rope. Or, millions of strands attached to one tapestry. What do you think would happen if, in the future, there would be a device where all our "what if's" would be answered? **_

_That..._would be both good and bad.

_**Like, "What if I fell in love with this person? What if this never happened? What if this was prevented?" As much as we would love these questions to be answered, they might bring upon more bad than good. There would be **_**this**_** much more regret and guilt. It'd be horrible. I guess it's better off being left in the dark, instead of in the light, in some cases. Sometimes ignorance truly **_**is **_**a bliss. (I would know.) **_

I snorted at Percy's futile attempt to bring the mood back up.

_**Anyways! How are you? I never ask that question enough. **_

It's because I can't answer...

_**I should ask that it more often. How's your family? Bobby? Matthew? You parents? Is everything all right? Are **_**you **_**alright? (Because that's what matters most. [No offence to your family, of course...]) **_

I'm alright, but you shouldn't have to worry about me, that much. I can handle myself.

_**I'm okay, if you were wondering. I'm all good. Well, as good as I could possibly get, without you here. Darn this sickness. And darn school, which is where you are right now. And darn Thalia for taking you away from me! **_

Well, Percy. It's not like I'm some object that one could just _possess. _And it's not my fault that you got sick.

_**Oh well. I guess you need to spend your time with each other, before you move away. *sniffles* Two more months!**_

Huh. I guess that Percy wrote this letter on the day that he got the cold, and no matter how much I protested, I had to go to school without him. Well, it was technically his fault that he decided to dance in the rain the night before. He brought that sickness among himself.

_**By the way, do you see that little dark-ish blotch near the bottom right-hand corner?**_

I looked at the spot he told me, and I couldn't see anything for a while, until I caught the faintest trace of some discoloration. I guess that was the area.

_**Yeah, that spot was dedicated to a sneeze I had a few minutes before. So, I'm guessing that that's just some saliva, which might have some traces of my sickness. You're welcome. **_

I quickly removed my hand from that area, and looked at that spot with new-found disgust. Although, there was something peculiar about that area...

..._**Just kidding! **_

I knew it!

_**I caught you for a second there, didn't I? **_

Not really...

_**ACCOMPLISHMENT! Now I am happy. **_

Well, if it makes you happy, then sure. I "fell" for that joke.

_**Yeah, really it was just some tea, that my mom gave me, and I spilled.**_

I guess that makes sense...

_**I don't even like tea! **_

I know, but tea should help with fighting the virus, and whatnot.

_**Hot water, sure. Coffee is a bit of a stretch. But tea? *cue gagging noise* **_

Tea isn't _that _bad. You probably offended a bunch of people by saying that.

_**No offence to tea-lovers. *cough* You. *cough* *cough* **_

I do not love tea _that _much. Occasionally is fine, but not on a daily basis, or anything.

_**Just give me chocolate milk, or hot chocolate, or something. They are **_**way **_**better. **_

Sure they are Percy. _Sure. _Besides, it was spring-almost-summer, when you wrote this letter. Those beverages aren't really appropriate for that type of weather. They're too warm.

_**Well, my mom went to go get some groceries, and some medicine, so she isn't here right now...Paul is, but he's asleep...**_

Oh _gods. _

_**Hehehe. Chocolate milk, here I come! So, bye I guess. *whispers in background* Here chocolate chocolate, come to papa!**_

I snorted.

_**Sincerely, **_

_**Your Seaweed Brain **_

_**P. S. You see that little stain in the top corner? That's from me spilling some chocolate milk, while I was proof-reading this...I guess I shouldn't eat or drink while writing these letters. **_

You really shouldn't. These stains are bugging me.

_**Oh well. Bye!**_

_**Now, for real, **_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Your Seaweed Brain. **_

Once I finished reading Percy's letter, I picked up my phone and sent him a quick text, with only one word in it.

_**Annabeth: Luke. **_

His response came two minutes later.

_**Percy: What 'bout him? **_

I took a deep breath.

_**Annabeth: It's the name of the guy I have a crush on. **_

I dropped my phone onto my bed. Let the teasing begin.

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Once again, sorry for the *gag* Lukabeth...**

**happy duckling: Thank you! But I can't really write that fast. A week-times is enough. (How do people write so fast?!)**

**BookNuts: Thank you! And it's glad to know that I captured them well. **

**Writer432: Thank you!**

**Motorider7: Thank you! I responded to your question already, right..? **

**DTM: Yeah...T****hank you, though!**

**ebookboss121: Well...This was ironic...Here you go, anyways!**

**Sweet Cats: Hehe. **

**DanutlessDemigod: Thank you! And thanks for liking my gender-bent costume. I'm sure yours was amazing. (If you dressed up...) **

**fanfic olympian: That's great! Hopefully you didn't charm-speak anyone into giving you more candy...**

**Turquoise Crystal: Maybe it was...Yeah it probably was. Percy couldn't flirt for his life. **

**GO PERCABETH: Thank you!**

**ASDFH: Thank you...?**

**SevenPlaysSoftball: Thanks!**

**spiesareawesome: Well, now I know! (Ice cream is amazing.) **

**Abooknerdandproud: Thanks! Hopefully you can wait for a long while...**

**percabethxxx: Thank you! And thank you for trusting me with your OTP. **

**imaagine4ever: Thank you! And it's fine. I don't look like anyone in the series, either. Just be a character gender-bent, like I was! Because Nico was probably the most similar to me...**

**BronzeDove**

**Doveblood4**

**PsychEmpress**

**Tranquil as a Nindroid**

**debo bertie**

**Lock on Lockon**

**sd1957**

**Cheshire Friki Jackson**

**alyaJackson**

**rodgerskfan**

**Tamara-Isabel**

**Becauseapples**

**DeltoraZ**

**Awesomeness2014**

**Smartcookie9**

**Ninjago Zane**

**half-blood. booklover**

**I didn't really proofread this chapter much, so please excuse any mistakes. **


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm sorry that this chapter is sort of short. It's more of a filler. And that it is kind of late-ish. (Although, it's still technically Friday where I am, so it's not that late.) I kind of had a writer's block for this chapter, so yeah. Also, please excuse any mistakes. Thank you. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. I also don't own that definition of the word "up." **

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

(Annabeth's POV)

"Lukabeth," was the first thing Percy said, when I picked up his call. I was in the kitchen, getting myself a cup of water, and the boys and my parents were out buying clothes in the mall. I turned down their offer of me coming along with them. Shopping wasn't really my thing, anyways.

"What's that?" I asked.

"You and Luke's ship name." He said it so nonchalantly, and if I took a sip out of my water, I would've spat it out.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Lukabeth. Luke and Annabeth. Duh."

I tried to ignore the warmness growing on my cheeks. "That's stupid."

"Would you rather like Castelase? Chastellan? Annuke?"

"What?"

"Annuke. You know. Annabeth and Luke. Gods, Wise Girl. Get your facts straight."

I shook my head, even if he couldn't see. "That sounds like the words 'a' and 'nuke.' You know, nuke, as in nuclear weapons. So we're a nuclear weapon?"

There was around a minute of silence, before Percy said, "_Whaaat?_"

I rolled my eyes. "Seaweed Brain..."

"You know!" Percy randomly pointed out. "I miss this."

"What?"

"All this banter and whatnot. I miss it."

"Percy," I looked out my window. "We talk and text every day. And we Skype at least once or twice a week."

"But I miss your presence." Percy sounded so sincere, that I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. I miss you too, you dork."

I could practically feel his grin through the phone. "Ha!"

"You must feel very accomplished right now," I responded drily.

"You know I do, Wise Girl."

I let out a breathy laugh. "Of course."

"So, what's up?"

I fake-cleared my throat. "Up: When used as an adverb, it means towards the sky, or some other higher up position. If it is a preposition, then it refers to moving up from a lower point, to a higher one. When used as an adjective, then-"

Percy cut me off. "Okay, Wise Girl! I didn't need a whole lecture on the definition of the word 'up.'"

I snorted. "Well, you asked for it."

He made this sort of frustrated noise. "Ugh. You get what I mean!"

This time, I laughed for real. "Fine. Nothing is 'up' with me. What about you?"

"Come on, Annabeth. Something is always up."

"Like the sky?"

"Annabeth!"

I smiled at his incredulous tone. "Okay. I'll stop."

"Thank you."

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing. So..." He drawled. "What're you doing?"

"I _was _getting myself a cup of water."

"_Was, _huh? What stopped you?"

"You're illogical remarks would've made me drop the glass, or spit out any water I was drinking." I pointed out.

"They're not that bad!"

"So Lukabeth isn't bad?"

"Blame Silena!"

I snorted. "I knew that you didn't make it up on your own."

"If I did, then it would've been Annuke!"

"Now, that's just worse."

"Exactly!" He cried out.

"So, what're _you_ doing?" I asked, in an effort to change the subject. It worked.

"I'm just spinning around in my swivel chair."

"Lucky!" I exclaimed. "I just have a regular old chair in my room."

I sensed Percy sticking his tongue at me. "Well, too bad."

I crossed my arm, that wasn't holding the phone. "Hmph."

"Hey! You shouldn't complain! You're the one with the huge house, that has an attic and a basement!"

"But the basement's awful and sketchy. It doesn't count."

Percy ignored my little side-comment. "You don't have the right to complain."

I sighed. "I guess you kind of do have a point..."

"Ha!"

I continued. "Besides, back in New York I always go to your apartment anyways. So that chair is technically part mine, what with all the times I've sat in it, and spun around on it. I have part custody."

Percy spluttered. "So, your phone is technically part mine considering all the times I played on it, and used it?"

"That's different."

"How so?"

"Because." I vaguely stated.

"Because why?!"

I grinned. I was _so _ticking him off. "Reasons."

"Annabeth!"

I laughed. Was it bad that I found his annoyance amusing? "Yes?"

"Ugh. Never mind."

"So, how was your day?" I asked.

"It was okay. I mean, I slept in and ate food, so that was good."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I raised an eyebrow, even if he couldn't see. "That you always eat and sleep. What else?"

"I guess I see your point."

"So, what did you eat?" Okay, _sure_ our conversations were very trivial and not that important, but it was nice talking to Percy. Frustrating sometimes, but they were nice. Even if we just talked mindlessly. It's not like we contemplate the meaning of life 24/7, anyways.

"My mom made pancakes."

"Were they blue?"

"Uh, duh." He said, as though it were obvious, which I guess, kind of was.

"I should have known."

"Yeah," Percy stated. "You should have. I mean, you _are _a Wise Girl."

"Yeah I am." A moment's pause. "Did you have extra syrup?"

"Obviously!"

"Was _that _blue?"

"Well, no."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Well, umm..." Percy stuttered. "That would just be weird..?"

"So blue food in general isn't weird?"

"Uh, you see..."

As Percy failingly tried to conjure up a response, I softly laughed as a way to tell him that I was just joking, and that a response wasn't necessary. "Seaweed Brain," I muttered.

He sighed in relief. "Now that was just cruel, Wise Girl."

"I'm sorry," I told him, but even he could tell that it wasn't sincere.

"Why are you so mean to me?" I could just imagine him pouting.

"It was part of the friendship deal. Besides, you know I don't mean it." And that was the truth.

"I know, but still!"

"Fine. I'll try." But, we all know that trying would just be a futile attempt, and will not work.

"That's all I'm asking for."

We then fell off into a comfortable silence, not long before I heard the doorbell ring, soon followed by the door opening and closing. "We're home!" I heard my dad shout.

"My family's back. I'll call you back, later." I hastily told Percy.

"Okay. Bye!"

"Bye." I ended the call, with Percy's "Whee"-ing being the last thing I heard.

"In the kitchen!" I called back.

"Could you come here, please? We have a surprise for you!" My dad still screamed, despite me being on the same floor as him. Once I lazily entered the lobby, practically dragging my feet, my jaw nearly dropped.

"Surprise!" My grandparents on my dad's side, Rosie and John, told me. They were both one of the greatest people you could ever meet, and one of the best couples too. They met in high school, and started dating in college. Their relationship was more than just the ordinary "high-school romance." And now, even after around sixty years, they are happily married, and their love is still fresh, as if they are high-school sweethearts, all over again.

"Oh my gods!" I exclaimed with new-found glee, and I bear-hugged them both. "Nana! Papa! I haven't seen you in such a long time. I haven't _heard _from you, in such a long time. Where were you? I thought that you lived in Boston. What are you even _doing _here?" Questions were spouting out from my mouth a mile a minute.

"Slow down there, Bunny." I smiled at the nickname my grandpa gave me when I was four. Long story short, it involved Easter, rabbits, and a whole lot of chocolate.

"Look how tall you are, now!" My grandma pinched my cheeks. "And you're so beautiful! Not that you weren't before, of course. You just look so grown-up." She held me at my shoulders. "And you look just like your mother!"

"Okay!" Helen clapped her hands. She always got awkward whenever my mom was mentioned, despite her being dead. "Rosie, John," they both looked at her. "Would you like some coffee? Tea?"

"Tea, please." Rosie replied, at the same time as John said, "Coffee."

"While I go prepare these, Annabeth?" I looked at her. "Would you like to give them a tour of the house?"

I was about to reply with a definite _Yes! _on the tip of my tongue, but my grandpa beat me to it. "As much as we appreciate the tour, would you mind if we just stay here? Preferably, on this floor?" Rosie coughed, and I started noticing things I haven't before. She started using a cane, and she was noticeably paler than before. Her steps were slow and small, and John always kept a careful hand on her back.

"Of course!" Helen exclaimed, with excess cheerfulness. She then practically ran off into the kitchen.

"Right this way," I directed my grandparents to the family room, which was on the right. Once we got there, after a couple of minutes, my grandma crashed down on one of the couches, with my grandpa following close behind. I took a seat in a chair across from them.

"So," I clasped my hands together. "You never answered my questions from before."

"We were travelling around the US," my grandpa started. I raised an eyebrow at this, "and California just so happened to be one of the states we were visiting. We were out buying some things, and came by your family, therefore leading us here."

"What were you doing exploring the US?" I asked, curiosity lacing my words.

They both looked each other. "No reason." John answered, vaguely.

"You know, Kitten," my grandma started. I smiled at her nickname for me. Yeah, I have a lot of nicknames. It could get confusing at times. "Life's short, and we know that we don't have much time left-"

"Don't say that!" I exclaimed. I hated it when my grandparents, or anyone, as a matter of fact, talked about death. It's just kind of hard imagining a life without them.

She continued on, ignoring me. "-So we want to enjoy it as best we can." She gave my grandpa's hand a little squeeze, and I smiled a little softly at the sight. They were just so adorable. When I grow up, I always wanted a relationship like theirs. A love that will always last, and never end.

"But are you okay travelling, in...that condition?" To be perfectly honest, my grandma didn't look in the best condition to be moving around, much less travelling the entire country.

She waved her hand vaguely in the air. "Pssh. I don't feel a day over 25. I may look old, but I'm young at heart."

My grandpa kissed her on the cheek. "Of course. Whatever you say, sweetie."

She spluttered. "But, it's true!" I laughed, which was a mistake, because now her attention focused primarily on me. "So, Annabeth," I gulped visibly. "How's Percy?"

I tried to refrain from rolling my eyes. My grandma always supported the notion of Percy and I dating. Geez. "We're just friends, Nana." I told her.

She gave me a certain knowing look. "Uh-huh. Sure."

"We are!" I protested.

It was at this moment that Helen decided that it would be a _marvelous _idea to show up with my grandparents' beverages. "Here you go," she said, politely, before leaving, hastily. She practically ran.

Rosie smiled, and stirred her tea. "You never answered my original question."

I sighed. "Percy's fine. Would you like to see him?" They both looked confused. "Via Skype." They still looked confused. After a good discussion, explaining what Skype is, and what it does, they finally understood the concept. Or, at least, a fragment of it.

"Oh!" My grandpa exclaimed. "Okay."

"Be right back." I got up from my seat, and sent a quick text to Percy.

_**Annabeth: Skype?**_

His reply came almost instantly.

_**Percy: Skype. **_

I jogged up the stairs, and to my bedroom. After retrieving my laptop, I made my way back downstairs, a bit more cautiously this time.

I took a seat next to my grandparents. "Hold on," I told them, while powering up my device. After a few minutes filled with an awkward silence, Percy's face finally appeared.

"Surprise!" My grandparents said, while doing this gesture with their hands.

Percy immediately brightened. "Oh my gods! Nana! Papa!" Yeah...Percy sort of adopted my grandparents as his own, since he doesn't have any living ones. It doesn't matter, anyways. Rosie and John already treat Percy as if he's their grandchild. "I'd hug you if I weren't all the way across the country, right now."

I laughed a bit. His reaction was almost the exact same as mine, except for the last bit. "Seaweed Brain..."

"Oh hush, Wise Girl."

He was about to say more, but my grandma cut him off. "Aww. You still have those nicknames you had for each other, ever since you were five?"

"Oh...Umm, yeah." Percy's face visibly reddened.

Rosie tilted her head to the side. "That's cute. Oh, and Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"You look so handsome." Percy blushed, while subconsciously flattening that untameable hair, and wrinkly t-shirt. I snorted. He just made it worst. "And you look just like your father!" Huh. That was literally what she said to me, except for changing it appropriately to fit Percy's situation. My grandma must start running out of compliments to give people.

"You knew my father?" He asked.

"Of course! We were there at his and Sally's wedding, obviously."

Percy was very confused at this statement, and I wasn't much better. "Uh, how...?"

Rosie just winked. "That's for us to know, and you to find out."

"Uh, okay...Moving on!" I silently laughed at Percy's fail attempt to change the subject. "What are you guys doing here? And, Annabeth?" I looked at him. "_Why _didn't you tell me that they were here, sooner? I'm very hurt, you know."

I rolled my eyes. "I only found out, like, ten or fifteen minutes ago."

"Ten or fifteen minutes when you could've told me!"

Rosie laughed. "Calm down, Cookie," Percy smiled at his nickname. "At least she told you, right?"

"But she could've told me, sooner," he grumbled.

I snorted. "You're lucky I told you anyways. I could've kept them all to myself."

He cocked his head to the head. "But then they wouldn't see my fantabulous-ity."

"Not a word," I mumbled.

He ignored me. "You'd just be punishing both me _and _them. You need to think of the society as a whole, Annabeth. Don't be simple-minded.

"None of that made sense." I pointed out. "Both grammatically and literally. Especially the part where you said that they'll be punished by not being in your presence. I doubt that they will."

Percy put a hand to his heart. "You wound me, Annabeth. Severely."

"Drama queen!" I half-sang.

Rosie and John watched our conversation like a tennis match. "O-kay, then," my grandpa started. Oops. I guess we sort of neglected them. "So, how are you, Pumpkin?" Yeah. My grandparents like having different nicknames for everyone. It's strange. They sometimes even switch it up, a bit. Like, one day I'm Kitten or Bunny, and the next, I'm Duckling or Beary-kins. Don't ask.

Percy grinned. "I'm okay! How are you?" And, of _course_ Percy brings up this whole excessively "innocent" and "polite" facade when around elders, or strangers. There's really no need, anyways. His other nature would be revealed, sooner or later. (And, I guess, there's also the fact that Percy's natural personality is good enough, but he doesn't have to know that.)

"We're well, thanks for asking. How's Sally?"

"She's good."

An awkward silence commenced, which I broke. "So, how long are you staying here?" I asked my grandparents.

They both did that sort of communicating-through-glances thing, that Percy and I sometimes do. "Uh, a week?" My grandpa told me, though it sounded more like a question.

"What?!" I exclaimed. "That's too soon!"

Rosie smiled at me. "Well, maybe we can make an exception with California..."

I hugged them. "Thank you!"

"Hug them for me too, okay Wise Girl?"

I rolled my eyes at Percy's question, but nevertheless, hugged them longer. "Happy?" I asked Percy.

"As happy as I could get, without you here." Percy grinned.

My grandma showed a visible effort to reveal how presumably "cute" she found this statement, by letting out a loud, "Aww! That's so cute!"

"I guess we have another member on Team Percabeth," Percy (somewhat) whispered to me. My grandma was too busy gushing to hear him.

"Pssh. She was probably one of our first supporters." I teased.

"Puh-lease," my grandpa added. "She was one of the originals. Who do you think made the t-shirts?"

"There are shirts!" Percy exclaimed. John just winked.

Rosie took a moment away from her squealing to explain. "Of course! It has hearts, and your pictures, and names, and everything! It's beautiful!"

"I'm sure it is, Nana." I told her, before Percy could ask some stupid question, or insert some random comment like, _What colour is it? Is it blue? It better have blue. _

"Gods..." Percy mumbled. I held in a laugh. "What are you laughing at, Wise Girl?"

"You," I said with a straight face. "And your idiocy."

Percy's cheeks tainted with a bit of red. "Hey!" This time, I didn't hold back from laughing. Percy held his face in his hands. "Stop laughing at me!"

"I'll stop when you stop being a Seaweed Brain."

"So, never?" Percy asked.

"Never," I replied.

"Now, Kitten," my grandma started. "That isn't nice."

"Yeah, Kitten," Percy repeated. "That isn't nice."

My grandpa sighed. "Pumpkin, it isn't nice to imitate to imitate others." I gave Percy a pointed look, like _What. _

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Hey! I just realized, how come Annabeth gets to have animal-based nicknames, and I'm food?"

"Oh, I don't know," I started. "Maybe it's because you like food? Just a thought."

Percy pouted. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"When am I not?"

"Annabeth," Percy sighed. "We really need to help lower your pride, a little bit. It's getting too large for normalcy."

"And your Seaweed Brain-ness is out of this world. It's not ordinary."

My grandpa looked to my grandma, with a look of exasperation. "They aren't going to stop insulting and teasing each other, are they?"

She looked between me, and the computer screen, AKA Percy. "Probably not."

Percy flipped his hair, ignoring my grandparent's conversation. "I'll just take that as a compliment."

Rosie and John continued talking to each other, and I sort of tuned them out. It was rude to eavesdrop, anyways. "Uh, it wasn't one, though."

"I'll believe what I want to believe, Annabeth. Just let me be."

"But sometimes being unaware and oblivious isn't all that it's cranked up to be. Sometimes ignorance isn't truly bliss." See? Our conversations can get pretty philosophical at times.

Percy tapped his chin. "Hmm. Maybe. But, then again, sometimes it's better off not knowing. Sometimes being in the dark is better than being in the light."

"Sometimes," I replied. "But not always."

He smiled. "Yeah. Sometimes." Percy then shook his head, rapidly. "Woah. Since when did this conversation get all deep and stuff?"

_Way to ruin a moment, Perce. _I thought. I just shrugged. "I don't know. It just came to us."

"Yeah. I guess it kind of did."

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Sorry for the very abrupt ending. I didn't know how else to stop this chapter, and I didn't know what else to add. Once again, sorry for the shortness. **

**PiNerd of the Hephaestus Cabin: Yeah... Maybe.**

**Percabeth's BIGGEST fan: I guess you'll just have to find out! And thanks. **

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**Guest: Thank you! **

**Sweet Cats: I'm writing!**

**Ellz - Goddess of Fish: Heh heh. Yeah, I know. I just don't know what else to say besides giving off my gratitude. **

**iamawesome237: I don't like Luke, either, and I'm trying to make the Lukabeth as short as possible. Although, the Percabeth will take quite a while. I hope you don't mind waiting. **

**PixelArtyGirl1: Thank you! And, sorry. I'm glad you're back to life, though! And, me? A therapist? That would probably be disastrous... **

**fanfic olympian: That's so adorable! And, lucky... You had the whole gang... BRING ME TO CAMP, WITH YOU! PLEASE? **

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